Young XMen: Omega Level Threat
by narutokid239
Summary: Watch as a new mutant thrust into this life he never wanted must adapt and learn to control his gift so that he won't be a threat to the people, the mutants in his life or the world. Pixie/OC. After Chapter 31 divert to "Not Too Distant Future"
1. Changing Times

**Chapter 1: Changing Times**

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><p>Sweat rolled down his forehead and into his brow, giving his mocha-skin a shining hue. He licked his lips as he looked ahead to his cousin who was standing with his knees bent almost at a 90 degree angle, but not exactly as that would be murder on his knees. This stance was one of the first things they learned when they began to their training in basketball four years ago with their elder cousin.<p>

"Come on Jaqueris, you're boring me just sitting there, hurry up and make a move." Prompted his cousin he was referring to the fact that the sweating teen was holding the ball on his hip with one hand on the top and the other on the side and his knees bent similarly to his cousin, a position known as the Triple Threat.

"Patience, Keenan, I'm deciding how I'm going to beat you." Jaqueris responded with a smirk, in his mind he knew that with just about any move he could get past his cousin whether it was a drive, pull-up or crossover it didn't matter. It wasn't that his cousin was garbage or anything, it was just that he was that good, not that he was bragging.

"Yeah,…if you say so…" while his cousin was talking Jaqueris saw that he had stood up ever so slightly which spelled attack in his mind and he did just that. He took one hard dribble to his left; he loved going left despite being right-handed, this moved made Keenan take a step back to try and get back into is defensive position and recover. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Jaqueris wanted him to do, with his cousin's momentum moving forward in haste and his own under control, he came to a hard stop and grabbed the ball with both hands. He pulled up into his shooting position with his arm in an arc resembling an L. Before he reached the top of his jump he pushed forward releasing the ball as his cousin tried fruitlessly to defend him.

The ball rotated at a beautiful arch as it soared towards the goal, he watched it with confidence knowing the outcome before the ball swished through the net. The look of dejection on his cousin's face was priceless.

"Game, what's the record now 100-5?" he gloated

His cousin put his hands on his hips and smiled but Jaqueris saw the micro expression of anger that he had trained himself to spot flash across his face.

"100-7. I've kept count long enough to know." He said

"You have? I lost count after it became something of a routine, y'know?" he continued

Keenan balled his lips, a sign of irritation, causing Jaqueris to chuckle lightly. "Cheer up, at least Georgia Tech isn't out here to see this game, they might rescind your scholarship."

Keenan gave his cousin a mock glare, this banter of theirs which they employed almost every time they'd seen one another which was very often considering they grew up together had not managed to lose its flavor.

"Funny, not everyone has a million scholarships to choose from so I take pride in mine."

"Yeah." Jaqueris said as he moved to pick up the basketball, "Let's get back we've both got a game tomorrow and the team can't afford to lose its star forward and his trusty sidekick."

He said this last part putting his hand on his cousin's shoulder and smiling receiving one in return. Standing next to one another one could see that Jaqueris was taller by at least 5 inches standing at 6'3. He had a well toned and muscular body but not excessively so the result of years of sports and physical conditioning imposed on him by his coaches and himself. Keenan had a similar build but due to his shorter stature he seemed to have more mass therefore appearing even more muscular.

"You won't be saying that once I hit the game-winning shot tomorrow night." Keenan said in response to his cousin's earlier comment making a shooting motion with his declaration.

"Well, if you do I won't, but we both know that's not going to happen cause Coach Crosby knows you can't hit a jumper to save your life when it's game time." Jaqueris mocked playfully

The cousins laughed aloud as they headed towards the gate. Jaqueris however stopped in the center of the court and turned towards the goal he and his cousin had been playing on. He launched a deep shot from his position towards the goal, as it soared through the air it made a dive once it reached a certain point and headed into the rim rattling around before it finally fell through.

"And the people of New York City go wild, as number 15, Jaqueris Malcolm sinks a dagger to end the game." He said this complete with mock applause

"Okay, Mister All-Star, let's go before Spider-man swings through and webs you for disturbing the peace." Said his cousin

Jaqueris looked towards the skyscrapers like everyone with a cellphone, camera, or a pulse for that matter in New York, he knew about the famous web slinger who fought crime and in fact Jaqueris promised himself that he'd meet him one day. These thoughts were for another time however as he had to get home it was getting late and his mom was making chicken alfredo tonight.

His apartment was a bit away from here as he lived in the deep city area of the Bronx.

"Hey, you wanna catch a cab to my place?" he asked his cousin once he caught up with him.

Keenan gave him an "Are you crazy" look before saying, "Are you crazy? That'd cost a fortune which we don't have. Why anyway you scared we'll get mugged, haven't you been taking some Kung-Fu classes for three years now you can handle some low life thugs."

"Muay Thai Kickboxing. And it's not that I'm just hungry and walking is gonna take a bit to get home." He informed his cousin

Keenan made a "fftt" sound and continued walking before he spotted three rather ominous men in standing on street corner ahead. Jaqueris felt his brow lower and muscles tense up as he clenched his left fist.

"Well…well…well look at these bums." Keenan said loud enough for them to hear.

The three looked up with one shouting back, "Look a' this kid rig' here na." he said as he moved forward. He was dressed like the stereotypical thug Keenan had mentioned before with his sagging pants and no t-shirt. Jaqueris recognized him as Marcus one of Keenan's friends who was taller than Jaqueris by at least three inches.

"What's up." He greeted as he slapped Keenan's hand

He then turned to Jaqueris who had a neutral expression on his face, Marcus then suddenly slapped the ball from his hands before getting into a fighting stance including a street guard.

"What's up, watcha gon do?" he said egging Jaqueris on

Jaqueris quickly got into the stance he'd learned and threw some fake punches while Marcus blocked before grabbing Jaqueris' torso. They all laughed at the playfulness. Jaqueris then turned to the two that had caused his reaction earlier.

"So Marcus, who's those two over there?" he inquired

Marcus looked backed before saying, "Oh that's Spanky and White Boy."

"For real? When they got out? I'm bout to go see what's up." Said Keenan as he made his way to the two.

Marcus and Jaqueris were left alone, Jaqueris moved the ball in front of him and covered it with both his hands, before realizing this was a "barrier" he was putting up which indicated discomfort in body language so he returned it to his side and put his free hand in his pocket with his thumb sticking out. It was still a pacifier but it also showed he was confident and relaxed which was partially true.

"So you ready for that championship tomorrow, I got money ridin' on you boy. You gotta at least drop 30 for me, man." Said Marcus

Jaqueris inhaled audibly, a sign of irritation, he hated when people bet on him it put unnecessary pressure on him as he would try to outperform to blow their expectations out of the water which he normally did.

"We'll see man, I can't make any promises." He replied

"Yeah, I guess so."

Jaqueris saw that Keenan was still talking and it was getting dark, so he made his way towards them. He put his hand on his cousin's shoulder while he greeted the other two with a nod. "Hey, Keenan, we gotta go game tomorrow." He reminded him

Jaqueris noticed that the two leaned back when he said this showing that they didn't like this new development. Keenan's bright smile from before faltered a bit showing he wasn't too keen on this either.

This also showed Jaqueris one of Keenan's less desirable traits, he often didn't have his priorities straight often putting pleasure before business as he was about to demonstrate.

"Oh…um…go on without me I'mma chill for a minute. I'll meet you at the gym tomorrow at 4:00." He said

Jaqueris knew he wasn't going to make him budge but made a slight frown to show that he was disappointed with Keenan's decision. "All right, just be there tomorrow, I don't like running point."

He gave his goodbyes to the two just as he had greeted them and left after giving Keenan a look.

Jaqueris walked for a bit consumed in his thoughts. Keenan had grown up in a less…prosperous section of the Bronx along with his elder brother, sister, and mother. His brother all but ignored him, his sister had a temper, and his mother was a bit too lenient in the parental regard. Effectively Keenan raised himself and found friends within the community who weren't exactly the best role models. Despite this or perhaps because of it, Jaqueris spent a lot of time with his cousin and tried to steer him in the right direction by encouraging his attendance to school, reminding him of assignments, and recently asking about his college plans after school. Though sometimes, times like tonight, he wondered if he had done any good at all.

Due to how focused he was on his own thoughts he didn't notice the crisp black limousine pull up beside him. He looked to his side and didn't acknowledge it but when he registered it again he stopped at looked into the tinted windows. The car stopped and the window rolled down. Jaqueris had his mouth slightly open as he waited to see what was about to transpire, a man of Hispanic descent with shades and slicked back hair in a ponytail poked his head out of the window.

"Get in." he said bluntly

"Sorry, but I was taught not to take rides from strangers." He said jokingly but not as confidently as he would've hoped. He somewhat regretted this however when the man produce a silver Beretta and pointed it at Jaqueris.

"I won't ask twice, amigo." He said smirking

Not in the mood to joke anymore Jaqueris opened the door of the car and got inside. He sat down and saw that the man was in front of him on a seat that was behind the limo drivers.

"I apologize for Toro's assertiveness, but I had to meet you." Said a cool voice

Jaqueris looked in the corner and saw a well dressed man in a black suit with a red tie looking at him. The man was middle aged with brown hair graying a bit on the sides. He had his legs crossed and was leaning forward slightly. He had his head cocked to the side with his index finger holding his head and his thumb under his chin. This man's body language screamed confidence to Jaqueris, but with a hint of danger.

Jaqueris swallowed a bit and sat back in his seat, he spread his legs and put his ball to his side and tried to relax his features. He knew he couldn't show fear to these types, they'd pick up on it and eat him alive.

"Why…do you want to meet me?" said Jaqueris quizzingly

The man smiled and looked at Toro who looked and smirked back before quickly going back to his scowl.

"Isn't it obvious, you're the biggest thing in the Bronx right now kid. Jaqueris Malcolm averaging 27.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists and 1.5 blocks a game…a top prospect in the country too. You've got everything going for you what with the big game coming up tomorrow." He explained

"Yeah…thanks I'm flattered." Jaqueris said slowly eyeing Toro who had yet to put his pistol away and had its butt sitting on his knee still pointed at Jaqueris.

"But I don't wanna waste your time I'm sure you've gotta rest up. So I'm going straight to the point. You see a lot of people expect things from you kid and I'm sure they've told you that. Now I'm not going to do the same because that would be wrong." He said pointing four of his fingers towards his chest

Jaqueris was not a slow kid, so he could see where this conversation was going. "So, dark limousine, dark clothes, dark shades…shiny gun." Toro's right eyebrow lifted at the last part.

"You guys want me to throw the game tomorrow, right?" he said matter of factly

The mysterious man chuckled lightly and put his hand on Toro's shoulder. "No…no…I'm not going to ask you to go out there and tank kid, a man's got his pride I know." He paused for a bit and cupped his hands and balled his lips slightly.

"What I'm asking you to do is not be the Superman that everyone makes you out to be. You know to make the game a little more interesting."

Jaqueris looked puzzled for a bit before realization hit him hard, "You want me to shave points." This wasn't a question but a statement.

"Well, if you put it that way…yes. You see I've got some money in the pool on this one and I really would appreciate an edge tomorrow." He then leaned forward enough that he put his hand on Jaqueris' shoulder and looked him in the eye, "Can you that for me…son?" The way he said it was as if he knew the answer already.

Jaqueris knew he wasn't really in a position to refuse this "offer" as it were. Especially not with Toro's Beretta aimed at him. He'd seen these types of scenarios in movies and usually the guy that was being threatened like he kind of was would be some well trained commando who could kill someone with their pinkie, but a commando he was not.

"It's…doable." He said letting his head drop a little showing shame in his decision.

The man laughed as he patted down Jaqueris' shoulder and leaned back in his seat. "Now that's what I wanted to hear. Toro here thought he would have to graze you with a bullet or something…can you believe that?" he said amusingly

Jaqueris looked at Toro who let out a small chuckle. The car came to a stop letting Jaqueris know he was at his destination.

"Here you are, this is your home I believe?" said the man, Toro opened the door to let Jaqueris out who got up almost too quickly.

He stepped out of the car and saw that he was in front of his home with a boy of about 11 sitting on the porch dribbling the ball between his legs. He began to walk towards the building when, "Hey, chico…" said Toro, "You forgot something."

He then threw the orange ball towards him causing Jaqueris to promptly catch it. Toro tucked his head back inside the window as it rolled up. The limousine drove off down the dark road.

Jaqueris stared in the direction of the car for a moment running what had just happened over in his head.

"Hey, who was that?" said the boy with the ball

Jaqueris looked towards the boy who he recognized as his little brother Ja'Keyon. "No one, just the NBA giving me a ride home because they know I'm league bound." He lied

His brother scuffed at this, "As if." Jaqueris walked towards the porch and rubbed his brother on the top of his head who moved away from the touch. "Why are you outside so late anyway?" he questioned in normal big brother fashion

"I decided to wait for you and plus I needed to work on my handle a bit before I lay down." He answered.

"Come on, enough of that today. We're going inside." Jaqueris said as he walked up the steps into the apartment building. They walked inside and spotted their mother other the stove cooking, at the sound of the door closing she turned to look at them. She was a 45 year old woman wearing pink apron with that motherly look adorned on her face.

"You two are in so much trouble where have you been, both of you?" she interrogated

The two at first said nothing both waiting for the other to start as they knew how difficult their mother could be. It was Jaqueris who finally broke the silence with, "Sorry, mom I got sidetracked a the courts and Ja'Keyon was just outside on the porch so no worries." He immediately made way towards his room upstairs.

"Where do you think you're going I made Alfredo tonight!" she yelled after him

"I know Mom put mine on a plate in the microwave, I'll eat it later." He called back, truth be told he wasn't the least bit hungry anymore not after his little encounter with the Bronx's local gangster anyway. He opened the door to his room and rolled the ball into the corner. He fell onto his bed and looked up into the ceiling of his dark room.

"What a night." He said to himself

As he ran over everything in his mind and contemplated what he was going to do he furrowed his forehead and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. While he was doing this the light began to flicker rapidly on and off catching his attention. Just when he looked at it, it stopped and stayed dark, he looked at his wall and saw that he hadn't thrown the switch into the on position.

"Faulty, electricity." He murmured before rolling on his side facing the window. He closed his eyes and tried to get some semblance of sleep. He didn't dream much, he didn't dream ever, but that night he dreamed of stars.

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><p>So how to do you guys like the first chapter of my new story. Leave you input in the reviews so I can see what you think. Oh and did anyone catch the hint I threw in at the end about his powers. See if anyone can try and guess what it is.<p> 


	2. First Contact

**Chapter 2: First Contact**

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><p><em>Ring. Ring. <em>The sound of the alarm clock blared on his nightstand causing him to exasperatedly slam his hand on the alarm button. He opened his eyes tiredly to look at the time which read 6:15, his time of rising. As he sat up in bed the memories of yesterday came flooding back into his mind causing him to let out a deep sigh. He still had not come to terms with his decision and it had bugged him for a time last night before he finally slept.

Deciding that sitting there reminiscing wasn't for the better he got up and looked into his drawer to find a pair of black basketball shorts and a white tank top. He grabbed the ball from the corner before heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth and put on his deodorant he'd wash once he returned. Jaqueris grabbed a tennis ball and headed downstairs to the sight of his mother drinking some coffee in her blue nightgown.

"Hey, Mom, you're up early." Stated Jaqueris

"Yes, well, I thought I'd wish you luck before you head out. Did you pray?" she asked

Jaqueris was walking toward the kitchen to an apple when his mother said that. He briefly stopped in place before quickly continuing pace, "Yes, ma'am." He lied. His back was turned towards her so she didn't see the slight frown adorned on his face. In actuality Jaqueris didn't pray, he hadn't for 3 years now despite his family being heavily Christian. He just didn't see the point from his perspective hard work and dedication got you places not getting on your knees and asking. It wasn't that he was atheist either agnostic was a more accurate term.

He lied to keep his mother happy and perhaps to prevent himself from being the recipient of any ignorant prejudice.

"Your aunt and uncle are coming from Manhattan today to see your game and your dad and grandmother are heading up from the south." Informed his mother

Jaqueris paused for a moment; he didn't know how he felt about this revelation. He rather enjoyed his family, but whenever he had to perform and they were present he just got a little anxious to prove himself. Realizing these thoughts were distracting him again he gathered his fruit and tucked the tennis ball inside his pocket and headed for the door.

"Alright, Mom, I'll be back at 9:15…or so." He called going out the door

He heard he say "Ok" as he left the door. When he hit the street the cold air began to bite into him, but he was used to it by now. Without wasting any more time he began to make a jog towards the court while chewing on his apple. It took a bit to get there approximately 3 miles in fact but it was quickened due to his brisk pace.

He'd finished his apple by now and threw it to the ground. Taking out his tennis ball he began to dribble with both the tennis ball and basketball. He began at a slow pace before gradually increasing the rhythm as well as adding crossovers such as between the legs, back and forth, and behind the back. He did this for twenty minutes before deciding it was time to move on to shooting.

He practiced for 3 hours and not the 4 hours he normally did as that would consume more energy, energy he would need come game time. Sweating profusely and panting slightly, his thoughts returned to the "offer" made by the man the previous night. He closed his eyes and actually focused on it this time. As he did this the park light began to flicker on and off, making a distinct sound as electricity cackled drawing Jaqueris' attention to it.

He narrowed his eyes before dismissing it and grabbing his two balls (no pun intended). He had a game to throw.

**Later That Night: In the Home Locker Room**

"Alright, this is what we've been training for, for two years now." Said Coach Crosby who was a stoutly man with broad shoulders, a clean-shaven head of African American descent, and a muscular torso dressed in a white dress shirt, black tie, with matching pants and shoes.

The Coach had been talking for the past five minutes, but Jaqueris couldn't hear him due to the fact that he had his earphones in blaring as they played Eminem's "Lose Yourself". His palms were sweating causing him to rub them together. Anticipation was apparent throughout his features. He was adorned in the team's garnet and white warm-ups and was sitting in a corner to himself. He ran over possibilities in his head over and over and no matter what he always got a bad outcome.

"Alright, time to play guys nothing more needs to be said; time to play your game." He said before walking out.

Keenan stood up and walked towards his cousin, "Ey, man you all-right?" he questioned after years of camaraderie the two could distinguish the emotional state of the other with but a glance. But that didn't mean they told each other everything, "Yeah, I'm just nervous for the game. How about you?" he asked

"Ah, you know me I'm never rattled. Besides we've got the number #3 prospect in the country on our team right? What's there to worry about?" he said in an attempt to cheer him up.

"If only you knew." Said Jaqueris under his breath as he noticed the irony in his cousins' last statement.

"Time to play guys let's go." Said Coach Crosby

Everyone rose up and got in line, Jaqueris was in the middle and Keenan was in the front. Soon the line moved forward out of the locker room and into the gym. The sound hit him as soon as he came out the door, the chatter of the crowd resonated with him filling him up with excess adrenaline. No matter how much he played ball this moment always got him excited.

He ran out along the sidelines as the crowd erupted in applause, quickly the team got into a circle with arms on one another's shoulders and made a rocking motion from left to right while uttering "Haa-ha-ha-ha-AAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh BOOM!" Rising up and lifting their hands into the air as they dispersed into two layup lines.

Jaqueris took this time to observe the crowd, he noticed his family sitting in one section of the crowd, his uncle, aunt, mother, father, brother, and grandmother were all present making him show a smile as he waved at them. However on further inspection of the crowd he saw that they were not the only familiar faces present tonight.

The man in the black suit along with Toro was present and they seemed to be eyeing him, the man had that facetious smile adorned on his face as he gave a thumb up and mouthed "Good Luck."

"Thanks for the encouragement, you bastard." He said to himself bitterly

8 minutes passed and the clock buzzed signaling the time for the game. He sat down on the bench as the names were being called. This gave him a few precious moments to reflect on his situation as he would be the last to be called. He considered the man's offer perhaps he could shave points and still help his team to victory, but then he realized that the other team was high-scoring and that that option wasn't applicable.

"Number 15, he is a junior small forward, Jaqueris Porter!" cried the announcer as the crowd exploded in applause. Seeing as he had no more time to think he exhaled sharply and stood up and ran through the "tunnel" and joined the other starting five on the court.

Their center, DeVonte, moved to the center of the court for the tipoff with the opposing center. Jaqueris moved beside the rival small forward awaiting the referee. The ref stood between the two players then threw the ball into the air. DeVonte won the ensuing battle and tipped the ball to Keenan.

Jaqueris ran down court and took his favorite position which was to the left of the free throw line just outside of three point land. Keenan dribbled toward his position and made a hard chest pass to Jaqueris, the other small forward tried to steal the pass making him lose position, Jaqueris took this opportunity to drive, and their center stepped up. Jaqueris took one hard step in the direction of the center, picking the ball up as he did so, causing the center to shift his weight in that direction. Jaqueris then quickly stepped in the other to perform a perfect Euro-Step and leave him open for an easy layup.

The center however wasn't going to let this happen without a fight, he jumped after Jaqueris who had already released the ball from his hands and whacked him across the head. Jaqueris stumbled a bit before coming to a halt at the wall, a bit of anger ran across his face before he calmed down. He smacked the wall to release some however and at that moment the scoreboard flickered momentarily. Jaqueris looked up and noticed this, but put it out of his mind and turned to get back on the court. When he did this he caught the gaze of the gangster who wanted him to shave points looking at him with a serious expression.

Jaqueris held his gaze for a second or two before breaking it. The majority of the first quarter proved to be hectic the team they were playing didn't want to go down easy, causing a back and forth battle. Jaqueris was playing well and before halftime had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. The team was returning to the locker room but a hand stopped Jaqueris from following.

"We need to talk." Jaqueris recognized the voice as Toro with his damn shades.

"Malcolm, you all right?" question Coach Crosby

Jaqueris nodded yes prompting his coach to disappear into the locker room. "The boss says you've done enough." He said tersely

"What? We're up by two with two quarters left to play and that team is not going down easily. Come on can't he give me a little more lee way?" questioned Jaqueris desparately

Jaqueris could tell by his expression and when he crossed his arms, showing he was defending his stance that his decision wasn't going to change. "I've told you what I've had to say, now you make your decision." He said before walking away.

Jaqueris clenched his fist in frustration as he gritted his teeth. All his life he'd lived by the belief that hard work brought you prosperity and now because of his hard work he was being bullied by a thug and his gorilla. He knitted his brow as he began to grimace, unbeknownst to him the light above his head began to grow brighter and brighter till it just looked like a glowing ball of light before it burst.

The shards fell on Jaqueris' head causing him to cover up. "And what is up with these stupid lights! Dammit!" he said as he stormed into the locker room. He was sitting in the room with a closed off posture reflecting his inner turmoil. In his anger he didn't notice his cousin sitting beside him who had a sick look about him.

"Coach, I don't feel so…" he called before vomiting on the floor and collapsing. Everyone flinched before gathering around him. "Move aside, watch out!" demanded Coach Crosby

Coach put his hand on Jaqueris' shoulder before quickly retracting it, "Malcolm, you're burning up you're not sick too, are you?"

Jaqueris had a look of puzzlement mixed with shock, from his cousin's collapse, from his coach's question. "I'm fine coach." He reassured

Crosby shook his head before attending to Keenan. "He's breathing…call an ambulance, Coach I want you to stay here with him while I take everyone outside."

On cue the team made their way into the hall way. Jaqueris was one of the last to leave as he gave one last look to his cousin. As they came out Toro from before was staring at the entranceway into the locker room. Jaqueris stepped out and met his gaze; they stared at one another for a few seconds before a ripping migraine erupted in Jaqueris' head.

"What the fuck!" he muttered before collapsing to the floor at that moment every single electronic device began to act strangely. Cellphones began to ring uncontrollably, lights burst, the score board flickered madly. Feeling his head pain massively intensify Jaqueris brushed past people towards the exit. He got to the door and by this time his migraine was at its apex, he clutched his cranium with both hands and let out a guttural yell as he fell to his knees. Just like that his migraine disappeared leaving him kneeling on the ground. The sound of the door opening behind him drew his attention.

"Malcolm, come on the third quarter's starting." He ordered

Jaqueris slowly rose from his position and headed towards his coach, "How's Keenan?" he asked before entering.

"The ambulance is coming; he'll be fine just get on the court. You should know, now that Keenan's out you're going to have to put it into overdrive and rack up those points." He informed

Jaqueris hurried to the gym, ignoring his coach, and saw that his team was waiting for him, the backup point had taken Keenan's place. "You ready man?" asked DeVonte

Jaqueris nodded "Yes" and the ball was passed into play. The backup point was okay, but he wasn't the starter and the other team knew this because they jumped him when he took two steps. He quickly passed it to Jaqueris, who jumped to the ball to receive it. He was immediately guarded. Jaqueris stood up to draw the defender in, which worked; he then quickly bolted past him towards the goal. He could've easily made it to the rim as the defense was out position, but then he saw that man again and he passed the ball down to the center who did a power dribble to go to the rim, but was denied unceremoniously by his defender.

Oooohs echoed throughout the crowd, but they didn't register to Jaqueris as he raced to get back on defense. The opposing team was pushing hard to try and get a fast break opportunity, but Jaqueris cut off the point guard who abruptly threw the ball over his head. Years of reflex training aided Jaqueris as he jumped up and batted ball towards his goal. He brushed past the guard and captured the ball making a beeline toward the goal.

As he approached his thoughts returned to the man and his threat. He still wasn't completely sure his course of action, but he knew now and he was going to send his decision to the man, with a thunderous tomahawk dunk.

The crowd stood up in applause including his family while the man and his subordinate grimaced. Jaqueris was backpedalling when he looked up to find the man and when he met his eyes he put up a semi apologetic smile and shrugged, if he'd been paying attention he would've thought how similar he looked to Jordan doing his infamous shrug.

The game took a turn for the better after that dunk, all throughout the third Jaqueris went ballistic, he shot threes, crossed over, made steals, everything that was humanely possible in the game of basketball giving his team the edge and this continued into the fourth. However the team they were playing were known for the resiliency and for every point or contribution Jaqueris made they responded in kind with different people every time.

It was now the closing minutes of the fourth and Jaqueris was exhausted. By now his stats read 30 points, 9 assists, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. They were in a huddle as their coach discussed the plan.

"Okay, it's their ball and the're down by three, with 20 seconds left you can bet your ass they're going for the three to tie. DEFEND THAT LINE! Body up, don't foul, and dig in their ass!" he commanded

The team did a breakout and returned to the court. The other team returned the ball to their point. He made his way to the top of the key, and passed it to his sharpshooter, who passed it back. Jaqueris quickly recognized this tactic, they were running out the clock which was at fifteen seconds.

"Attack!" ordered Jaqueris, this caused everyone on his team to guard their man closely almost smothering him. However one of the opposing players wised up and faked in the direction of the goal and jumped out for the pass. His teammate saw this and delivered the ball, he received it then promptly shot the ball after setting up. To the shock of Jaqueris, his team, coach, and the home crowd it fell through.

With no time to dwell, DeVonte took out the ball; his team had no more time outs so they had to rush it. He passed the ball to Jaqueris who ran up the sideline while looking at the clock. 00:03 read the time, knowing a layup was completely out of the question, he pulled up from his current position which was halfcourt. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the ball soared through the air.

It came closer and closer to the goal, and Jaqueris noticed that he was holding his breath as was the crowd. The ball rattled around right on the edge of the goal, Jaqueris thought this meant the end of his basketball dreams, but was pleasantly proven wrong as it fell through.

The crowd cheered as they flooded the court to embrace their hero. He was lifted up on the shoulders of the people as he beamed after digesting his accomplishment a little. In this time of celebration he caught a glimpse of the man who had a stone expression but Jaqueris noticed his tight lips, clenched hand, and the slight rising of his chest as he inhaled deeply.

"_He's pissed."Jaqueris thought_

After the game and he had gotten dressed, he was walking with his family towards the parking lot.

"Good job, son, I'm proud of you." Jaqueris' said patting him on the shoulder

"Queris, when you're in the NBA you gotta give everyone of us 1 million dollars." His brother said

Everyone laughed at the young boys joke, but they were interrupted when a black limousine pulled up in front of them. The entire family stopped and looked warily at the vehicle which began to roll down its window slowly. Jaqueris' heart dropped as he saw the face of the one known as Toro.

"Good job, kid. Joseph Capelli sends his regards." He said before a flail of fire rained from the care followed by the piercing sound gunfire. Jaqueris stood shocked as he blacked out from the experience.

Through the pain Jaqueris opened his eyes slightly to see that everything looked vastly different. He saw everything in waves of varying color with no distinguishing features, this sight made him even more disoriented. Struggling to stay conscious now, Jaqueris looked at his hands they were glowing brightly almost crackling.

"What the…hell is happening.." Jaqueris could not finish his sentence as light burst from his body in every direction before quickly dissipating. During this phenomenon Jaqueris had the feeling of floating overtake his body. He could acutely feel what was happening around him as his consciousness flowed throughout like a fish scurrying through the ocean. And that's what he felt like a fish, unrestrained and free. Then as quickly as it had come this feeling disappeared, leaving Jaqueris in a state of confusion.

He was panting heavily and was covered in perspiration. He looked frantically from left to right searching for any sign of life…he found none. He looked up into the sky and found something that would surprise any New Yorker…stars. The moniker of the "City That Never Sleeps" was well deserved because of the constant illumination the city gave off preventing anyone from witnessing the twinkling stars of the nighttime sky so it was strange to say the least that they would become visible all of sudden.

This fact unnerved Jaqueris even more as he looked at his surroundings; he found ruins in the place where his school once stood. What were once cars were now melted shells of their former selves, the ground was charred and black giving off a burning smell, and on closer inspection Jaqueris noticed that the ground surrounding him in a circle had become so hot that the rocks had become molten red with heat waves rising from them.

"Wha….What happened?" he questioned desperately, seeing this destruction he thoughts came to his family who had been inside the school. The more he thought about it the more his stomach lurched as the possibility he envisioned began to pry its way into his mind.

"No…this isn't happening, this can't be…" Jaqueris stood up with his legs buckling slightly, "I've got to get out of here." He rose up to leave, careful to avoid the hot rock on the ground. As Jaqueris ran he saw that the reason why there were stars in the sky, every light for blocks seemed to be out, cabs had stopped completely, people were trying to get their cell phones to work to no avail, there were no neon signs or tv sets working. The city that never sleeps was officially…asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>X-Mansion<strong>

Professor X was currently in the large circular room known as Cerebro as he observed the young boy who was in a frantic state to say the least. He lifted the helmet from his head and said, "This is most disturbing."

* * *

><p>So there it is Chapter 2, per usual tell me what you think so that I can constantly improve in my writing. Also has anyone guessed his power yet?<p> 


	3. Lost

**Chapter 3: Lost**

* * *

><p>Professor X wheeled himself out of Cerebro towards the elevator leading to the surface. Once he was inside and pressed the desired floor number, he put his index and middle finger to his forehead and he concentrated in order to contact one of his former students.<p>

Danielle Moonstar, former Valkeryie, was currently in the cafeteria just about to bite into a sandwich which she had been craving for, but this was not to be as she was interrupted by the Professor's impeccable timing.

"_Danielle, can you hear me?"_ he called telepathically

She rubbed the bridge of her nose in slight annoyance, _"If I say no, can I finish my sandwich?" _she responded

"_I need to speak to you, it is very urgent. Also bring your squad along especially Wallflower." _He said before severing the connection

Danielle let out a sigh as she looked at her sandwich, which looked infinitely more delicious now. "Oh well, waste not want not." She said before taking a very large bite from her meal. She arose from her seat to gather her "squad" as they were called.

They were composed of mutants who had recently arrived at the school and were generally in their teens, a fact that Danielle sarcastically believed to be an added bonus, the squad was currently up to David Alleyne, Sophia Mantega, Kevin Ford, and Laurie Collins. She had recruited two personally so she knew their abilities and since Professor X requested them she began to wonder what the situation was.

She was lucky and managed to find David, Sophia, and Laurie in the commons area. "Hey, you three suit up we're needed."

David put down the book he was reading and looked at the two girls who had a quizzical look as well. They rose up and caught up to their mentor, "Ms. Moonstar, what's going on?" asked David

"Your guess is as good as mine, but the Professor needs us, A-S-A-P." she said

The normally shy Laurie took this time to speak up, "Is it another mutant?"

"That's my guess." She responded before taking a look at the group, "Where's Ford?" she asked

The three looked at one another before Sophia spoke up, "Kevin is outside." Danielle sighed at this information, "Well, let's go get him, shall we?"

The quartet made their way into the courtyard, to find an auburn haired boy sitting on a stone bench alone. He had a sad look across his face which didn't necessarily improve when he saw his fellow mutants.

"Kevin, the Professor needs us for a job." Said Danielle

Kevin's frowned deepened and he turned away from his teacher, "Sounds interesting, I'm not interested."

Danielle adopted a frown of her own this time; Kevin at times could be difficult, this being one of those unfortunate times. "Come on Kevin, what can it hurt it's better than moping around alone all day." interjected David

Kevin gave him an agitated look, "What can it hurt?" he snorted "Don't you mean who I can't hurt, no thanks I rather sulk." He crossed his arms and turned in the opposite direction reminiscent of a small child who'd had his favorite toy taken away.

"Kevin…" Sophia started as she stepped forward, but Danielle stopped her by putting out her arm. Danielle briefly considered telling Laurie to use her powers to put Kevin in a good enough mood that he'd consider coming along, but decided against it as he'd be in an even more pissy mood once the pheromones wore off.

"Okay, Kevin, you win. We won't push you anymore." Danielle said before nodding her head in the direction towards the school. Everyone made their way to the building save for, Laurie. She looked at Kevin's back with a sympathetic gaze. He looked so depressed with his shoulders hunched over and his head lowered.

Kevin was so concerned with his own negative thoughts that he didn't notice Laurie approach him. So he was especially surprised when he felt her hand touch his shoulder in a comforting way. "You don't have to be alone Kevin. You have friends who want to help you." She said

Kevin wanted to return the contact, in fact he really wanted to, but then he remembered his "condition" and didn't react to her touch. Laurie then ceased her gesture and walked off leaving Kevin to himself. He held up his hands and looked thoughtfully at his palms, then clinched them in frustration.

"_Danielle, where are you?" _called Professor X again

"_I'm on my way, I have everyone minus Ford. He's busy sulking." _She answered with a little tint of agitation in her voice she hated to be rushed just as much as the next person.

"_I'll find a replacement, just get here quickly." _He then cut the telepathic chatter

With Profs hurrying Danielle couldn't help but wonder what had him in such haste. This new mutant must really be something, that or they were under attack for the umpteenth time.

The group arrived in the study of Professor X who was waiting for them behind a desk. "Ah, you've arrived, I'd rather skip the pleasantries for now and explain the situation." He said

Danielle had no objections to that and neither did the students. Professor X, seeing this, turned on the television to a news report being conducted by a red haired woman.

"That is correct; all communications and electronic activity within the Bronx borough have ceased completely and transport into and out of the city are being halted. The blackout occurred yesterday at approximately 10:45 p.m. witness accounts report that they remember seeing a pillar of light appear when the blackout occurred and again shortly afterwards. Authorities are unsure if this is an assault by terrorists, mutants, or even if this is an attack on the homeland at all. Please stay with us as we continue to report live." She said

Professor X turned off the television in order to let his students process what had been said. "Well, do you know the exact location of the mutant?" Danielle finally asked

"He was last seen at this address," he said handing her a piece of paper, "and I suggest you hurry, I am sure the city will be unrecognizable as it is and waiting will only allow it to intensify with time. I will support you with Cerebro from here." He finished

"Alright, then I guess we'd better hurry." She said turning to her team

* * *

><p><strong>Bronx Borough<strong>

He sat, looking blankly outside his window, he didn't know how long he had been sitting, it wasn't as if it mattered anyway. Not after last night, he'd returned home in a daze completely unfocused. However he eventually regained his wits before grief hit him like a ton of bricks.

The young teenager's stomach growled, he may not have known how long he'd been stationary but it must have been awhile. The problem was that all his food was gone, when he came home after running nonstop, he found his place ransacked. Furniture was upturned, items and clothing were missing, the thieves they were merciless. Jaqueris had expected as much, I mean with a blackout that seemed to stretch all across the Bronx, people were bound to go crazy. Even now the sound of chaos rang through his window as people fought and stole for what they desired.

Jaqueris' stomach growled again and it was getting annoying. He finally decided to go outside, if he couldn't find food maybe he would get lucky and get hit by a random bullet. He put on an olive green hoodie to cover his red t-shirt, he made sure not to wear anything even remotely expensive looking as his plain black pants and grey shoes showed. Walking downstairs he quickly went out the door to avoid catching any familiar sights.

On his porch he saw anarchy at its finest; people were running in every direction, grafitti was being sprayed, there were even a few fires lit. He pulled his hood over his head and headed toward a general store with his hands in his pocket, a tactic to ward off any would-be muggers.

He was walking for a moderate amount of time before he came across a familiar face, "Marcus? Marcus!" he yelled

Marcus turned at the sound of his name, "Wooooah! Ain't you dead?" he asked, Jaqueris ignored the absurdity of this question, "Obviously? I mean how many people you know are dead that can walk around right? He said sarcastically

He noticed that Marcus was holding a Molotov cocktail in his hand. "What are you doing?" Jaqueris asked. Marcus looked at the weapon in his hand and smiled, "Just cashin in before the cops get their footing again? You want in?"

"No, do you know where Keenan is?" Marcus didn't answer immediately instead he lifted the cocktail and lit the cloth sticking out of the bottle, "Last I heard he was at the hospital before this blackout hit." He then threw the incendiary device where it crashed through a window and burst setting a blaze. Marcus lifted his arms into the air and ran towards his handiwork shouting.

As he was leaving a realization hit Jaqueris, he hated opportunists, and that's what they all were, Marcus, Toro, Joseph Capelli, even the people that broke into his house, opportunists always eager to advance their own goals at the expense of others it made him sick to his stomach. He then realized that they were everywhere, in every nook and cranny, like roaches or the plague, but the ironic thing was that it actually made the revelation that he was mutant a little more bearable.

As he continued walking he decided to cut through an alley. Despite his new found misanthropy he noticed that even the homeless people weren't present, but he supposed this made sense as they had the most to gain from the state of things.

"Turn around and hand over everything you've got." Ordered a voice

Jaqueris obeyed the clichéd line and faced the man with raised hands as he cursed at the fact his tactic had failed. The man was skinny with large eyes and a pointy nose, not striking one as the mugger type.

"Did you hear me, I want everything." He yelled once more waving his gun up and down. Jaqueris took a nice hard look at him, his mouth was slightly agape and his eyebrows were raised slightly, this combined with his constant jerking of the revolver showed he was afraid, but Jaqueris wasn't feeling sympathetic only angry that a frightened little man was holding him up in the hopes of making a quick buck, another opportunist.

"You should drop the gun and walk away." Advised Jaqueris calmly as he tried to contain his inner anger, "I don't need your advice just give me the money and no one gets hurt alright?"

Seeing as his words were falling on deaf ears Jaqueris' temper escalated a bit more, this was so potent in fact that he didn't notice the heat build up around the sockets of his eyes and the fact that his eyeballs began to glow white.

* * *

><p>A brown haired Caucasian boy was walking with a group or rather a mob of individuals who had arrived in the Bronx under the pretense that they were searching for something. This something, to them, was the cause of the blackout and had to be exterminated, after the events of the "Civil War" and the "Superhuman Registration Act" such displays of genetic misconduct were unacceptable, at least to them.<p>

They had stuck together since they arrived and as such were not bothered by the delinquents destroying the town. This gave them ample time to search, search for anything that seem out of the ordinary, anything besides the looting of course. He however felt his feet getting tired so he stopped and leaned on a pole.

"Hey, what are you doing we have to stay together." Said one of the members

"Just give me a minute, I'm a little worn is all." He said

The boy nodded his head and melted back into the group. He took the time to observe, the Bronx wasn't necessarily a nice place, but now it was really bad.

"What kind of monster could've caused this?" he said to himself

Just then he heard a yell and what sounded like a gunshot in an alley nearby. He quickly forgot about how weary he was and ran in the direction of the disturbance. He rounded the corner and saw a boy around the same age as he was holding his bleeding shoulder as he grimaced in pain. Before him was a man lying on the ground who seemed to be in a state of shock with scorched clothes around his chest area.

He walked closer to the two and looked at the man on the ground. He was definitely burned, to the third-degree in fact, but conscious as his eyes had a terrified look in them.

"You should leave him." Said the boy through a pained expression

"You're hurt, you need a doctor. What's your name?" He said

Jaqueris wasn't really up to saying, "No shit, Sherlock." So he just answered the boy's question, "Jaqueris Malcolm."

"Josh Foley." He felt the boy's name sounded familiar, but returned his attention to the man. "Who did this to you?" he asked

The man was now shaking slightly and didn't seem to be able to speak, but he managed to move his eyes until he was glaring at the boy standing over Josh. Josh looked at the boy with a puzzled gaze. He didn't appear to be especially threatening and didn't seem to be carrying anything that could cause this serious of a burn so how could he…

Josh's eyes then widened as he answered his own question, "Wait, you're a mutant aren't you?" Jaqueris didn't say anything after all what could he say, before the boy stood up and his body language went from one of surprise to disgust.

"Mutant! Mutant! I found the mutant who did this!" Josh yelled

Jaqueris would've strangled to boy if he wasn't in so much pain right now, but he was more focused on the large number of shadows he saw approaching the alley. "Shit!" he exclaimed before making a break for it.

He made a left and quickly saw he was going to have to jump a fence. He mentally prepared himself for the pain that was sure to rip through his body as he mounted the obstacle. He climbed to the top but the ungracefully fell over to the ground. Agony radiated through his shoulder, but a brief glimpse of the approaching lynch mob from the other side of the fence caused him to stand up and continue running.

He still did not see a way into the streets, but he spotted a warehouse door which he promptly kicked open. He ran straight through what appeared to be a shipping warehouse with broad windows letting in a lot of sunlight. Jaqueris didn't have time to enjoy the scenery however as he looked for an exit.

A door with the letters "E and T" spaced apart was situated above a door, needless to say Jaqueris made a mad dash towards it. He was going to use his good shoulder this time to bash it in, but Newton had another idea. He bounced back when he found his shoulder thrust wasn't enough to go through the door. He tried kicking it desperately again and again but to no avail.

"Come on, you've gotta be shitting me! Fuck!" he yelled angrily. He stopped for a quick moment as he noticed his vision getting slightly blurry, he must have lost a bit more blood from parkouring around the slums.

The door opened behind Jaqueris and he froze. The fanatics who had been chasing him had caught up and were now entering the warehouse. The now outed mutant turned to his assailants slowly as they stood at least 5 feet away from him.

They stood staring at one another for what seemed like an eternity. The hate and racism was evident in their eyes, especially the adults, but that didn't mean there wasn't any animosity with the younger members some who were even Jaqueris' age. Then his eyes fell on the boy who had been eager to assist him before he learned of the DNA difference between him. Jaqueris never understood prejudice, to him it was based on ignorance and idiocy, but it wasn't until he was the object of such a phobia that he realized how deep his contempt for it actually went and he also realized how he felt about those who held it towards him.

"You know, I hate people like you." Jaqueris said looking Josh Foley dead in the eyes; if he was going to die he wanted the one who made it possible to know exactly how much he despised him.

Two grown men from the hate group began to edge towards their prey; Jaqueris instinctively stepped back, but ran into the locked door behind him. The men were closing the distance at an alarming rate, at least to Jaqueris it seemed, and with each step his heart pounded harder, in fact he could distinctly hear it in his ears now.

Jaqueris always thought that when you were about to die that your eyes really did flash before your eyes, but that didn't seem to be the case for him. He closed his eyes now he felt like his heart was going to burst through his chest at any minute, at least then he wouldn't have to die by some bigot's hands.

He slammed his hand against the door, he was convinced this was going to be the last physical act he would do. He was wrong.

At that moment his hands began to crackle with blue energy drawing everyone's attention to them. Jaqueris looked at his hands before instinct kicked in. He pointed out his blood soaked hand and a blast of electricity shot out from his palm striking the man on the right square in his chest. He flew a good distance over his compatriots who followed his ascension and descent.

Before they could react the living watt of power used his other arm and aimed at the other man who was blasted and spun in the air before landing with a thud. If Jaqueris wasn't so shocked he would've smirked and made a nice quip, like Spiderman, but the chance of survival blocked any other thought.

"I'll handle this." Said another man, he had a brown beard and a pot belly wearing a confederate hat. He then produced a silver Magnum, from his pants and pointed it at Jaqueris. Just like that whatever thoughts of survival Jaqueris had were dashed as he stared down the barrel of a gun for the second time today and the third time in his life.

The man slowly pulled the trigger, as if to add dramatic effect, he fired but the bullet didn't go straight as his hand was covered in green energy pulling it straight into the air.

"You know I really hate guys like you." Said a boy with black hair whose hand shared the same green energy as the man's he had a girl with short blond hair accompanying him. He then flicked his wrist to the right causing the man's entire body to fling in that same direction.

The large windows in the warehouse then shattered as an incredible gust of wind made its way inside managing to knock a couple of the racists off their feet.

"Julian, finish off the rest."

"I thought you'd never ask." Said the boy and with the same mysterious energy he parted his arms and all the remaining attackers were flung in every which way, each hitting a solid object hard.

Seeing that every hostile was down, the two new faces moved forward. The boy pointed his hand at the gun causing it to levitate; he then flung his hands up causing the handgun to fly out the window.

He then looked at Jaqueris and gave a smug look, "I know we're X-men, we're awesome, take your time to bask."

"Shut up, Julian." The girl said elbowing him in the side, "Hi, my name is Sophia Mantega and this is Julian Keller, are you okay?"

Jaqueris was still stunned from the display he just seen and couldn't really answer, but Sophia caught sight of his shoulder wound.

"Oh my, that wound looks painful." She said as she walked towards him

Jaqueris then snapped back to reality as he observed his own wound, true it was still very painful, but not on the level it was before nor was it bleeding as heavily. As the girl seemed to peer into the hole in his shoulder, the entrance into the warehouse opened and a black boy, another blond haired girl, but longer, and a Native American woman walked inside.

'There you two are, did you find the…" she stopped when she spotted when she laid eyes on Jaqueris.

"He's been shot, Ms. Moonstar." Informed Sophia

The Native American women made her way to the boy seemingly ignoring the strewn out bodies, but the black boy didn't.

"Ah man, Julian what'd you do?" he said stepping over one

"What I've been trained to do, of course. You should've seen it Alleyne, you might've learned something useful." The green boy said

"If I haven't learned anything from standing beside you all this time, there's no hope." He retorted

Julian gave a shrug as he turned back to Jaqueris.

"So he's the new mutant, huh. Couldn't take out a few thugs, maybe he isn't worth the time." He called and it seemed to be directed towards the woman.

This comment didn't pass over Jaqueris' as he frowned at the boy.

"Shut up Julian." She then looked at Jaqueris' wound, "We need to get you to the hospital, to make sure this doesn't get infected." She then turned to leave no doubt expectant that he would follow.

"Wait a minute, I'm really appreciative of you guys saving me, but I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are." Jaqueris said

Moonstar looked at him over her shoulder; she had expected this behavior, the initial distrust common for a new mutant. "Okay, my name is Danielle Moonstar, the ones who saved you are Sophia Mantega and Julian Keller, and the ones behind me are David Alleyne and Laurie Collins. Anything else you wanted to know."

Jaqueris looked over each individual as she named them, the Sophia girl seemed nice and looked to have an upbeat helpful personality, Julian looked to be a cocky son of a gun, David seemed to be okay, the Laurie girl seemed to be like Sophia, but much more shy, and the Danielle Moonstar seemed to be stern, yet supporting individual. Though Jaqueris still had one more question.

"Yeah, I have a question why are you here?"

"To help you, to take you to a place where you don't have to hide your gifts in fear of low lives like these, a place where you can be safe." She explained

As Jaqueris listened he found it hard to believe such a place existed, "And where might that be?"

Moonstar lowered her brow at him in a "Are you serious" look, "If I told you that it wouldn't be as safe anymore." She said this nodding her head in the direction of one of the unconscious bigots.

Jaqueris ran over this in his mind, it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to go, well he could go to his aunt but he didn't want to burden her especially not with Keenan's condition. As he thought he walked past Moonstar who followed him with her gaze, he was past Julian when a sharp pain ripped through. He quickly reacted by taking the hand that had been placed on his shoulder and twisting it in an uncomfortable position.

"Oh yeah, Julian, he practices martial arts." Said David

"Thanks for the info." He said sarcastically as he grimaced in pain

"Listen, Julian, I'm very grateful for what you did for me, but you should be careful with your hands, you might lose them someday." He warned before letting the boy go.

Danielle looked at Julian briefly before returning to Jaqueris, "So what's your decision?"

Jaqueris looked at them all, these mutants of which he was officially one of now. The he took a gander at the ones on the floor, the humans who seemed so distant to him now almost an alien or something.

"Where do I sign up." He said as his gaze left Josh Foley

* * *

><p>There's chapter 4 I wanted to add a little more but my computer ran out of space. Now who do you think should room with Jaqueris because I'm not completely sold yet and would love some viewer input.<p> 


	4. The First Day of School

**Chapter 4: The First Day of School Pt. 1**

* * *

><p>Jaqueris turned over in his new bed; he opened hi s eyes tiredly to the darkness enveloping every part of the room. He decided now was as good of a time as any to rise for the day, a quick glance outside his window told him it was early in the morning, as it was still dark outside, but that was good he didn't like waking when the sun was up, it slowed him down for the rest of the day. The first thing he did was head into the bathroom; he didn't need to worry about being silent as he had no roommate at the moment.<p>

Jaqueris stared into the mirror at the boy looking back at him; his gaze fell to the bandage around his shoulder, it had been applied after the hospital treated his abrasion with disinfectant and septic. He began to unravel it, curious as to how it looked, despite it only been a day since he'd been shot. He expected to see a small orifice opening running from the front of his shoulder to the back and to wince from the slight pain of touching it, but that's not how irony works.

Instead of the rather ugly gunshot lesion he anticipated he was greeted with the sight of his regular ebony skin with no scar tissue to ruin his complexion. Subconsciously he traced the area where he'd been hit and his back to be sure he was not dreaming. Now he was not a doctor by any stretch of the imagination but he knew that most gunshot wounds don't just up and heal after just 24 hours, give or take, of being produced. In any case seeing as he wouldn't need those wraps anymore he tossed them in the small garbage can beside the toilet.

He continued to stare in the mirror and noticed the growth of his mustache and beard, "I hate shaving." He said as he fiddled with the facial hair. As his eyes returned once again to the now non-existent injury Jaqueris' thoughts were brought back to when it was freshly open and still painful.

* * *

><p><strong>Bronx Borough- 1 Day Earlier<strong>

Jaqueris had returned to his home, with the X-Men, well actually he couldn't quite call it his home anymore; home was a place where you felt welcome and safe a place that inspired feelings of comfort and happiness. All Jaqueris got from this adobe was pain and misery it didn't resemble is house anyway due to the damage caused by the hooligans who broke inside. In his mind, it was a dark cave unwelcoming and gloomy which only served to bring up negative images and sounds from his not too distant past.

He ran up stairs to grab a suitcase cringing once he hit the top from the unpleasant sensation in his shoulder. Danielle saw this and looked at David before pointing her head in the direction of Jaqueris. Interpreting the nonverbal the youth followed his fellow mutant upstairs.

"This is most unfortunate. How can people do this to one another." Cried Sophia

No one answered as they all had their own interpretation of these events and wished to keep them to themselves, well almost everyone.

"Because Soph, they're humans, it's what they do; they break, steal, and kill to get what they want. Opportunists is what they are, sleazy opportunists." He said passionately

Danielle shook her head at her student's proclamation, ever aware of the elitist overtone in his voice.

David came into the first door on the left to find Jaqueris with a suitcase packing with his back to Alleyne. The prodigal genius observed the room with a keen eye, there were posters of basketball players, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemare and Kobe Bryant stuck to his wall each in a position as if they were going to score. He looked to his right to find a bookcase, a rare object in a teenager's room in this day and age, taken aback by this he read the titles on the spine of the books.

"Sun Tzu's "Art of War", Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince", Robert Greene's "The 49 Laws of Power", and Baltasar Gracian's "The Art of Worldly Wisdom." David repeated to himself. The boy obviously indulged in philosophy and wondered if he was as introspective as his possessions entailed.

"Could you hand me those books?" he called from behind David

He gathered them in his hands to comply and handed the gently to their owner. "So, you studying to be a professor or something?" David asked trying to make small talk

Jaqueris looked at the last book he was going to put in his bag, "The 48 Laws of Power", and was reminded of one law that warned against talking in excess especially of one's self as it could reveal potential weaknesses in your character for enemies to use. Not that he saw the young boy as an enemy, but you could never be too sure.

"No, decoration." He replied without looking at him and zipping his bag shut. David seemed to accept this less than truthful answer.

"Okay, I'm ready." He told David, causing the boy to nod in agreement and walk towards the door.

Jaqueris was about to follow him when he spotted a glare from the corner of his eye. He turned to see a picture frame sitting on his nightstand. He grabbed it softly and stared at the picture enclosed in the wooden frame. It showed him, Ja'Keyon, his mother, and his father all beaming, unaware of their real-life counterpart's fate. He continued to oogle the picture when a single tear fell onto the glass of the photo.

Several more soon followed behind the first one. Jaqueris wiped his eyes and let out a small sniffle, and it was at this moment that he became conscious of the fact that he had never cried about his family's death until now. Instead he simply repressed it underneath a layer of emotions too afraid to actually **feel** anything but emptiness. He recomposed himself and tucked the item somewhere where it wouldn't be damaged. He then rejoined the others down stairs.

"Okay, let's get going, the less time I spend in here the better." He announced

"First, we have to dress that wound of yours; we've already wasted enough time without treating it." Said Danielle

Jaqueris growled he didn't really wanted to stay in this district anymore and besides what could the hospital do for him with the blackout. Though he knew he wasn't going anywhere unless the lady agreed so he simply said, "Fine." Gruffly

* * *

><p>They arrived at the hospital, which to no surprise was dark.<p>

"Man, Prof, wasn't kidding when he said it was like an EMP went off in the city." Said David

"Do you think the patients inside are all right?" asked Laurie

David shrugged. Jaqueris was ahead of them and heard their chatter which didn't really help his sober mood. One look at the hospital reminded him of the damage he caused both directly and indirectly, if he really did shut down all electrical equipment, then people that were dependant on it such as life support and pacemakers, then…

A sigh escaped his mouth as he stared at the hospital sign above the building. He hated being so angst, but it was harder to shake then he thought he didn't see how Goths did it all the time.

He then walked into the waiting area of the hospital and headed to the receptionist desk.

"Stay out here." Said Danielle to her students. They all put on their own versions of a frown at being made to sit still like children.

Jaqueris wasn't listening as Danielle discussed matters of legality and the issue of relation, only chiming in to confirm the fictional relation of the two and show his wound. He was staring off in the direction directly ahead. He saw something that made him run past the receptionist desk into the treatment area.

"Jaqueris!" she called running after him

He dashed quickly to the figure and gave a hard punch forward, knocking the taller man down. The patient in the bed and the other man sitting beside him looked on in surprise as Jaqueris breathed heavily, his face reddening. The man in the suit and the one on the floor each had a look of disbelief on their features even more so than the boy in the bed.

"It's you, what the hell are you two doing here?" he fumed

Danielle arrived right after this incident to find an older man dressed in a suit sitting beside the bed of a young boy of around 17 as well as a younger adult male with shades, which were now on the floor, revealing his hazel eyes.

"I apologize for my student's behavior, he's…" she didn't finish as Jaqueris interjected

"Screw that, these two bastards they…they.." he continued in a haze as his hands began to crackle electricity

"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else young man." Said the man in the suit calmly

"The hell I do, your name's Joseph Capelli and he's Toro. You're both gangsters who rigged games." He exclaimed

The man looked confused as he turned to help up his companion, "I'm sorry, young man, but you're mistaken, now how you know my associates name I don't know, but I am a mayoral candidate running for office, just about everyone in this city knows who I am." He explained

Just then a doctor came over to place his shoulder firmly on Jaqueris' shoulder but a quick bolt of electricity shocked his hand. He then turned to Moonstar to speak.

"I'm sorry; Ma'am, but you and your company must go. We do not discriminate against **your kind** but if you persist in this behavior you will be removed from the premises." He explained

"Wait that's my cousin!" said the boy in the bed

As the man was explaining Joseph Capellia and Toro made their exit with Jaqueris attempting to follow but being stopped by Moonstar. She then leaned in close to whisper into his ear, "You have to calm down Jaqueris. Your outburst is going to make it worse for you to get treatment and add to the stigma that mutants are a crazy bunch of genetic freaks."

When she said this Jaqueris thought back to the disgust and hatred that he felt from the eyes of the people who attacked him earlier, then looked around the hospital he saw some of the same looks, but he also saw something else. Fear. It didn't feel good, to see people look at you like you were some type of monster, like you were some time bomb that was ready to explode at any given moment.

So Jaqueris calmed himself by breathing in deeply. In. Out. In. Out. Before too long he had calmed to a relatively tranquil state and now had an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I was way out of line" he added the last part looking the doctor in the face.

The doctor's hard feature then softened enough where it didn't look like he was going to pop a blood vessel. "Well, that's quite alright, just don't make such a fuss again." He did this complete with the finger wag, which made Jaqueris a teensy bit more irritated. He walked away more likely to some of his patients.

Danielle let Jaqueris sit down as he gathered his thoughts. He admitted rushing in a hospital and knocking out pedestrians was not beneficial to him in hindsight, no matter how good it felt. He was not normally a person, who lashed out due to emotional lapses, but he had his limits and seeing the man who shot his family was definitely past the limit.

"Man, what is up with you?" asked Keenan breaking his reflection

"I got shot, and I'm a little angry right now." He said pointing to the hole in his coat.

Keenan put on a face showing he didn't completely believe his family member. Not wanting him to press any further Jaqueris decided to change the topic.

"What was he doing here?" asked Jaqueris as he cupped his hands and squeezed from anger in recalling the man's presence.

"Who Mr. Capelli, he dropped by to tell me some things. Listen I'm sorry about your mom and everybody else. I mean the chances of a freak explosion are ripping up the school like that?" he consoled

Danielle's ears perked at the mention of Jaqueris' parents, she had wondered why he seemingly had no guardian watching over him.

"Yeah," Jaqueris said answering the previous question the topic of which he didn't want to dwell on for too long, "How are you holding up? What did the doctors say?"

"Oh, a little radiation poisoning is all. They gave me some pills and did some other stuff, but I'm good now?" he informed

Jaqueris shook his head; at least something good had happened to him in these past two days. "Hey, who's this?" asked Keenan nodding at Danielle

"This is Ms. Moonstar, she's a…a" he stammered as he realized he didn't really know Danielle's occupation.

"A teacher, for the school, Jaqueris will be attending." She finished for him

"Yeah, a teacher." He added

Keenan gave them both a strange look as he absorbed this new information, "A school? Where is it?"

Jaqueris paused once more at a question he did not know the answer to. It surprised him how very little he knew about the place he would be staying from here on out.

"It's based here in New York, Salem Center at 1407 Graymalkin Lane to be exact, you can come visit anytime you want." She said

"Oh, it must be some boarding school or something. Well man I wish you the best of luck." He said extending his hand to Jaqueris

"Yeah, me too." He returned the handshake

When their two hands connected, suddenly the tv came on, in fact every tv in the building came on. All the lights returned to power and every machine began function once more. Everyone looked around in skepticism at what was happening around them.

"Man, how lucky is that huh?" said Keenan

"Yeah, lucky." He said looking at Danielle who returned the gaze.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was still looking in the mirror as his memory ended. He began to go about with his daily routine, but wasn't really invested in any of it. He got dressed and headed to a spot he found to be one of his favorites in the very short time he'd been here. It was a garden maze which had a quiet place where you could just sit and think. As he arrived and sat on the bench his mind returned to when he found out what exactly his powers entailed.<p>

Jaqueris was walking with Moonstar around the school at the moment, having separated from the other students when they arrived. Jaqueris was reeling already from what he'd seen, he first spotted a boy that seemed be made completely of rocks, a girl that seemed be made of metal with red hair, and was that a giant chicken.

Moonstar sensed his amazement and said, "Don't worry you get used to it."

"Where are we going now?" he asked

"We're going to Hank McCoy to see the Professor." She said as she rounded a corner.

Because he'd been busy taking in all the sights at the extravagant school Jaqueris couldn't recall how they got to a large wooden door. She knocked and awaited a response.

"Come in." called a voice from the other side

They entered the door to find a man in a wheel chair with X inside the rungs of the wheel. He had a bald head and for some reason Jaqueris instantly respected the man.

"Hello, there Jaqueris, how are you feeling today." Said the man as he extended his hand

Jaqueris looked at his outstretched palm as he looked like it was contemplating something. "It's quite alright, Jaqueris. You won't harm me in any way." He assured the boy

Jaqueris promptly took his hand and gave two strong pumps, "Yes, well, lets us get you situated shall we?" he then moved behind his desk and made a motion for Jaqueris to sit down as Moonstar left the room.

Jaqueris dropped his bag and sat back in the seat, he clinched the rests of the chair tightly. _"You've gotta relax, Jaqueris, you've got no reason to be afraid, right?"_

He then loosened his grip considerably as Professor X, began to speak.

"Jaqueris, I want you to know first and foremost, that this is a place of learning and during your stay here that exactly is what you will be doing. Due to the **incident**," Jaqueris' left eye slightly twitched when he said this, "in the Bronx your records have been lost, so we will have to assign you some new classes with core courses." He then turned to the laptop and for a few minutes didn't say anything. He then closed it and looked at Jaqueris in the eyes.

"Now then let's talk about things beside schooling." He said

Jaqueris felt his heart jump; he knew this one-sided conversation would eventually come to the topic of his mutation.

"Yes, sir, what about them?" he asked cautiously

"Your powers, as you know, are the result of a genetic mutation. Now these powers can be very dangerous if left unchecked as you've no doubt witnessed."

Jaqueris lowered his head dejectedly as he recalled what the Professor was referencing. "Yeah, I'm familiar with the result of lack of control."

Professor X rubbed around his mouth as he seemed to be studying the boy, Jaqueris shifted a little under his gaze, he felt like he was under a microscope.

"Yes, well your powers are a…interesting case, you see. You have the power to control the entire electromagnetic spectrum." He said

Jaqueris' reaction was a mix of confusion and relief. He was confused as he didn't know entirely what his powers could do beside fry some people and blackout a large portion of a metropolis. However he was also relieved in the fact that his mutation had a name he could associate with it now.

"What exactly can I do besides knock the Bronx of the map?" he asked with a bit more enthusiasm that he didn't know he possessed.

"With your permission I would like to show you." He asked humbly

Jaqueris nodded his head but he wasn't quite sure what he meant by show, until suddenly he was no longer in the office of the Professor. Instead he was standing in the middle of a desert…a vast desert at that. There were cracks in the ground and the air was heavy and carried a certain "tinge" to it.

Jaqueris looked up into the sky as he felt the unrelenting rays of the Sun, which seemed to be extremely bright. He scanned the area for any signs of life, but not even insects registered in his search, there was simply…nothing.

"This is what a lack of control could potentially bring. A barren wasteland devoid of even microscopic life forms." He explained

"What is this place?" Jaqueris questioned

Xavier gave him a serious look, "This **was **Earth before a massive bombardment of UV rays, microwaves, and other ghastly forms of radiation obliterated everything on the planet, save for what you see here." He explained

"But the sun…" he started before he realized what the Professor was trying to tell him, "it was me, wasn't it?" he said sadly

Charles put his hand on Jaqueris shoulder in a comforting manner to show he understood the emotions he was experiencing now.

"This is why I sent my students to find you, this is why I built this entire school, so that people such as you and I could learn to control our gifts in the hopes of shielding people from the disasters an absence of self-control can bring."

Jaqueris looked into the sky not at the blazing sun, but through it. This apocalyptic scenario was far more horrible then anything he could've imagined.

"Okay, Professor, I'm ready."

* * *

><p>I did not know how I wanted to end that chapter. I know the title was a little misleading but I felt I had to include some scenes which I couldn't implement into my previous chapter. Anyway tell me what you think and continue to offer suggestions on roommates, advisors, and the like I'm really interested in seeing what you guys have to say.<p> 


	5. First Day of School Part 2

**First Day of School Part 2**

* * *

><p>Jaqueris had that glazed over look in his eyes which was due to his thoughts not being in the present. So much was he into them that he didn't notice the girl as she came into proximity of Jaqueris' "spot." Her foot snapped a twig, alerting Jaqueris to her presence, as he turned to meet this stranger.<p>

She was a fair skinned girl standing in at 5'6", emerald eyes, and long ebony hair that could potentially go down to her back. "I am sorry I did not expect someone to be here. I will leave." The girl apologized before quickly turning to leave

Jaqueris noted the perfect grammar she used and the formal tone she delivered it in. "You don't have to; I mean there's plenty of space to go around."

The girl looked at him, and Jaqueris got this weird sensation like she was filing data on him or something, that look just seemed so…calculating. After she finished analyzing him she walked over to the opposite bench and sat down. Jaqueris caught himself staring at the girl for a moment, she seemed different somehow, and he decided to say something before she objected to his gawking.

"Um…my name's Jaqueris Malcolm, what's yours?" he asked politely

The girl kept a neutral expression and responded in that same serious tone, "Laura Kinney."

"Well Laura, nice to meet you, are you a new student here too?" he continued

"Yes." She said quickly

Jaqueris noticed she answered tersely as if she didn't want to talk or couldn't. The former offended him slightly, but the latter he could relate with after all he had an issue with talking with strangers too. Though he wanted to talk, it helped to stave off the memories; he wasn't trying to be an extrovert over night, but what could it hurt to make a potential ally.

Laura looked at the boy as he had stopped talking; it looked as if he was mulling something over in his mind. She wondered why he had been asking so many questions, was he trying to find a weakness to exploit? No, he didn't strike her as the type; in fact he seemed….what was the term, friendly. Something she was not accustomed to being the recipient of.

"So..what classes do you…" he began but Laura cut him off before he was finished

"Why are you doing this?" she asked

Jaqueris raised his brow in confusion, but let her continue.

"You do not know me. I am a complete stranger to you, yet you engaged me in conversation, why?" she asked bluntly

Jaqueris was used to the truth; he always sought it out, you had to when there were so many liars around you all the time. Though hearing it from this girl was different, it was strange; it was as if she had no understanding of social etiquette in the slightest. This made it all the more strange when Jaqueris began to tell her the truth.

"I need to talk, talking to someone distracts me. It distracts me from…the things I've done. The people I've hurt." he uttered as he realized he was going into sensitive territory. Ironic he had talked to the girl in the hopes that he wouldn't have to think about his family yet here he was beginning to bring up the topic in casual conversation.

He looked at the girl who seemed to be waiting for him to continue what he was saying. He gazed into her jade eyes and got the feeling that she wasn't the type to judge, but that didn't make it easier. So he did the one thing he despised something that he cursed every time he saw and discouraged it whenever he could. He ran.

Jaqueris rose from his seat, "I'll see you around Laura, the sun's coming up, so that means class is going to start soon." He said this as he walked away from her. She watched him go silently.

Jaqueris walked inside the mansion and just like that the bell rung signifying it was time to wake up for the school day. The halls quickly filled up with the many students of Xavier's Institute. For whatever reason, Jaqueris didn't desire mutant contact and the moment and went up the stairs to try and avoid the coming rush of them that was headed his way.

He neared the top and thought he had avoided the swarm when, "Jaqueris." Said David as he appeared at the top of the stairs. Jaqueris mentally sighed at his materialization; he was effectively trapped now with no visible way out.

"Where are you going, man? Class is the other way."

"Yeah, I was thinking of skipping today." Jaqueris informed blankly

David put his hand on Jaqueris' shoulder as he led him the other way, seemingly deciding for Jaqueris where he was headed.

"You don't wanna skip not on your first day anyway. You're gonna want to save those for the latter part of the year when things go real slow and boring. You've got Physics first period, right?"

Jaqueris was lost on how he knew that maybe he was some super genius that hacked into his files. However, he didn't feel that was the case, he knew David was smart, but super-genius he didn't buy it. This still didn't explain how he knew, however.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" he inquired

"Psychomimicry, let's me gain the knowledge of the people around me. And you're with me first period." He explained

The two soon found the room they were seeking just as the class was entering. A blue furry cat was at the chalkboard and…wait, Jaqueris did a double take to ensure he wasn't hallucinating. His staring must of have been noticeable because David tried to gain his attention to snap him out of it.

"That's Dr. McCoy don't stare," he leaned closer as if telling a secret, "He's very sensitive about his appearance."

"I heard that Mr. Alleyne," said the furball before turning to his two students, "and I assure you I am not the least bit insecure about my appearance." He said the last part looking at Jaqueris

The teen rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment; he supposed there were still some things about being a mutant he had some getting used to like having a humanoid cat as your teacher. He found a seat in the midsection adjacent to David. He surveyed the classroom, besides Mr. McCoy there didn't seem to be anyone with any overt mutations that would make them immediately noticeable.

"Sorry, I'm late, Mr. McCoy!" said a voice from the doorway. Jaqueris fixed his eyes on the door to spot a pink haired girl, and matching eyes with pointy ears, and what appeared to be pixie wings. She had a large smile on her face as she was talking to the Doctor.

"That's quite alright, Megan, just take a seat so that we may begin."

The girl looked around briefly before she found a seat right next to Jaqueris. She fluttered over to her desk as Jaqueris followed her with his eyes all the way. She sat down then looked into his eyes. He didn't say anything immediately and wondered why the girl was staring at him.

"Um…hi." She said as she waved at him with a tight smile

Jaqueris mentally kicked himself as he realized that he was the one that was staring, "Oh, sorry, it seems I have a big problem with ogling today."

"That's okay, you're not the first to do it and probably won't be the last so what are you gonna do?" she said

"You could try cutting them off." He joked, he wasn't sure if the girl was sensitive about her wings or not but said it at the spur of the moment.

This didn't seem to register with her as she just smiled, "Hey, my name's Megan Gywnn." She said putting out her hand.

"Jaqueris Malcolm." He returned with a small smile and a handshake

Maybe this school wouldn't be so bad after all.

The bell rang signifying the end of the period. Everyone picked up their respective books and made their way towards the door. Jaqueris was slow to pick up his bags, mostly because he didn't want to be caught in the hallway with all those people.

"So what class you got next?" Asked David

The boy was persistent that was for sure, and Jaqueris had to admit despite his early attempts to ward off any potential acquaintances he was warming up to him.

"I got self-defense." He answered

"Cool, you're with me; we've got Mr. Logan together." Said the pixie

"Who's Logan?" Jaqueris asked

Megan and David gave each other a look that suggested they knew something, but were not going to tell Jaqueris, at least not now anyway.

"You'll find out, see you guys later, I've got Frost right now." He said as he walked out the door

"Come on, you do not want to be late for Mr. Logan's class, he'll bite your head off…literally" she said pulling on his arm

When Megan said this, thoughts of a fire-breathing dragon popped into his head for some reason, I mean with all he'd seen he would be more surprised if his instructor wasn't some wild animal look-alike.

"So how do you like the school so far?" Megan questioned enthusiastically

"I haven't really been here long enough to form an opinion, but I do like one thing about this place already."

Megan then quickly flew in front of him and put her face very close to his, "What?"

She was close enough to where Jaqueris could smell her shampoo, strawberry. "The fact that people here recognize and respect personal space." He answered

"Oh." Megan said picking up the hint, she then returned to her original position beside him but hovered slightly above his head.

"Yo! Megan!" called a gravelly voice from up ahead, little did Jaqueris know was how accurate gravelly was.

The rock boy from earlier came marching toward the two and the closer he got the more massive Jaqueris realized him to be. Julian Keller was not too far behind him a fact that Jaqueris wasn't too sure he liked very much.

"Hey, Vic, what's up?" chirped the girl asked as she flew around his head

"Nothin' much, who's this shrimp you're hanging with." Said the golem pointing to Jaqueris

Said boy raised his eyebrow at his new nickname, but just stared at the mutant boy.

"He's no shrimp and is name is…is…" Megan then floated closer to him to whisper in his ear, "Sorry, what's your name again?"

"And here I thought we had a connection." Jaqueris answered deadpanned

"His name is Jaqueris Malcolm," said Julian as he came up beside the boy named Vic, "He's the mutant I told you about Santo, the one we saved from some thugs in New York." He said confidently

This boy seemed to like to appear important Jaqueris noticed and probably had a huge ego because of it. "That was you? Sorry, my memories not so good these days. But your face does look familiar." He said not changing his expression as his voice dripped with sarcasm.

Julian said nothing, because Santo did it for him, He bent over and put his face a distance not too unlike where Megan had been moments earlier. "What was that, little man?" He asked threateningly

They stared at each other for a moment unblinkingly, one daring the other to back down or retaliate in any way. The bell ringing was the only thing that ended their little game of eyeball chicken in a draw.

"Come on, we've gotta go, Logan's gonna kill us!" chimed in Megan as she yanked Jaqueris past Santo

The two hurriedly arrived in the gym, which had the class seated in the center all dressed in a gi with varying belt colors; there were about 18 students minus Megan and Jaqueris. A short, but stout man with hairy sideburns and a hard face was standing in front of the class dressed in a gi with a black belt. The two stood still as they had grabbed the attention of the entire crowd.

"You're late. Get dressed then around the gym, til I get tired. " He said with authority

Both Megan and Jaqueris sighed as they made their way into the respective dressing rooms. As Jaqueris was getting dressed he noticed the fact that he was, technically, a white belt once more despite his years of Muay Thai training.

He walked out of the dressing room and looked at the crowd for moment. He didn't really know any faces until he spotted those green eyes belonging to the girl he met this morning. There was also another green he saw, but this was skin color covering a boy with scales resembling a reptile.

He then began making his rounds, it wasn't long before Megan joined him in his jog.

"So how are you going to make this up to me?" asked Jaqueris

"Hey, this wasn't completely my fault you know." She said with a childish pout

"No talking!" barked Logan

The punishment wasn't especially harsh to Jaqueris due to his athletic training, but Megan seemed to have a harder time than him as she produced a light sweat that ran down her forehead to the nape of her neck and further down into her cleav….

Jaqueris stopped himself from looking, it wouldn't be right to look when he just met the girl, he would just have to live with fantasizing for now. He smirked at his own perversion.

"Alright, that's enough yer two, come join the rest of the class. And no shoes on my mat." Said Logan

The two tardy students came up beside the feral mutant as he pointed them where to go. "Girly-girl, you're with Laura," Megan walked over to the olive eyed girl, "Newbie, you've got Borkowski." This time he motioned towards the reptilian boy

Jaqueris walked to meet his training partner, who looked at him tentatively. Jaqueris was more accustomed to the strange appearances of the residents of the school now so thankfully he did not stare this time at the boy.

"Today were gonna be practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so if any of you have any problems getting up close and personal with your partner. I suggest you suck it up and get over it. All senior or more experienced members I want you to teach the rookies how everything is properly done, but I don't want to see anyone taking advantage of this position if they do, you'll have me as your partner instead." He said reminding Jaqueris of a drill sergeant

Jaqueris thought he heard many gulps as Mr. Logan made this threat.

"Go easy on me okay, I'm new to this. My name's Jaqueris by the way." He said smiling

The boy gave a somewhat hesitant smile, "My name's Victor Borkowski, and don't worry I'm not all too great at this either." He reassured

"All right begin." Ordered Wolverine

Megan bowed at Laura as the other girl did the same. "So what are we going over today Laura?" she asked the clone

"We will be practicing the Cross Choke from the Guard Position. Do you remember how to proceed?" she asked in a business tone

"Yeah!" said the cheerful girl

The girls worked on varying techniques of Jiu-Jitsu namely the armbar, from various positions, and the Triangle Choke. Well worked would be a little less precise than intended, actually Megan worked and Laura taught by example. Everytime Megan would make a mistake Laura would show her by pulling a maneuver that simultaneously embarrass Megan as well as putting her in a painful position.

"All right, break!" called Logan

Megan and Laura sat in a cross legged position, "So, Laura, what do you think of the new guy?" she said nodding her head in the direction of Victor and Jaqueris. Laura looked over for a second before saying flatly, "I have no relationship with him."

Megan found this strange, but she thought this was just Laura's way of saying she didn't know him well enough to form an opinion.

"He seems…nice." Laura used the last word slowly as if she wasn't sure how it was going to sound.

"Oh." Megan said as she continued staring at the boy as he talked to Victor

"So you're the new kid, huh?" asked Victor

Jaqueris scratched his head, "Yes, since that seems to be my designation now, I suppose I am."

Victor caught the slight annoyance in his voice; no doubt people had been calling him that for a while now.

"_Smooth, Victor, smooth." _ The boy thought to himself

"Sorry." He rebounded

"Don't be, I…" he started but was stopped by Logan calling for everyone to begin again.

The class ended an hour and 30 minutes later. Jaqueris was about to get dressed when he heard that brusque voice calling after him.

"Malcolm! Don't bother changing." said the burly man

Victor and Megan both gave him a sympathetic look as they left the class. Jaqueris made his way over to the man slowly. For some reason he was wary of the guy, like he was putting his head in a lion's mouth every time he talked to the man.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Logan?" he asked

Logan could sense the fear rolling off the kid, he was used to it by now, but he wasn't sure if it was because of authority or if he was naturally shy. In any case he had a job to do.

"You can use sir or Mister, but not both, kid." He said

"As long as you don't use kid anymore, sir." He smirked, but instantly regretted when he saw the scowl the man shot his way.

"Chuck tells me, you're a loose cannon."

Jaqueris quirked his eyebrow showing him he was confused partly because he doubted the Professor used those choice of words to convey his point. "I'm not a…"

"Thank it up with the Prof. He just wanted me to teach you some meditation techniques to help curb your edge off." said Wolverine raising his hand

Jaqueris wondered what the man was referring to until he remembered the somber moods he would sometimes find himself in since his family's death. This also raised the question as to how Charles Xavier knew about them.

"Okay, so when do I start?" he asked

"Now, it's lunchtime so we're free, if you don't know anything then I'll teach you."

Jaqueris was familiar with meditation and the positive benefits it had on the mind, he had even delved into for a couple of months, but never extensively like this. The two had been sitting for at least thirty minutes now, but Jaqueris had yet to find the calmness he was seeking causing him to groan in exasperation.

"This isn't working." Cried Jaqueris rubbing his forehead

Logan rubbed the bottom of his chin and closed his eyes in thought, "I got an idea, try it again." He said

Jaqueris closed his eyes and attempted to concentrate, he tried to listen to everything that was going on around him which was good because he was able to dodge the blow Logan sent towards his head.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Jaqueris said in shock

Logan allowed himself a chuckle at the boy's expense. "There's your problem, kid, you're **trying** to feel everything around you. The point of meditation is to relax and not do anything at all except breathe." He instructed

"Ok. I'll do that then." He said as he returned to his sitting position but looking at Logan the entire time before sitting wary of another strike.

Jaqueris began to implement his mentor's advice and relaxed. He didn't think of anything, which was difficult at first because different thoughts tried to push their way inside his mind. Most of them were unpleasant as they involved his family, but he was all too happy to push those to the back of his mind.

Soon he seemingly accomplished this as his mind cleared of everything. His muscles relaxed and the tension throughout his body left him. Though the kicker wasn't the tranquility he was feeling, but what he was seeing. However seeing was an inaccurate term as he couldn't actually see with his eyes closed.

Instead what he saw was something very strange. Everything around him was black, as expected, but he could see the rays of the lights in the gym clearly they were yellow, the sun's light also glared it was many different colors such as purple, red, white, grey, green, blue, and the familiar yellow. He could also sense Logan behind him but didn't recognize him when he came in front of Jaqueris.

Whenever he walked Jaqueris saw the electrical impulses his brain would send to the different parts of his body. While watching him a thought raced through his mind, _"He's going to scratch his nose." _

Logan examined the boy, before he felt an itch on his nose prompting him to scratch it. Jaqueris continued to study this new development; he noticed that he felt a sense of connection that stretched all over the school. He felt like he was outside of his body, he felt light…almost weightless.

"Kid.!" Logan called

"What!" he answered with a bit more bass in his voice than he intended he had been quite annoyed at having his connection broken.

He looked to find the X-man expecting to get reprimanded for his outburst, but didn't find the one who was supposed to deliver it.

"Up here!"

Jaqueris gazed upwards and saw that Logan was floating in the air almost in the rafters and not only that but so was he, but not at the same height. Surprise caused the effect to end however as Jaqueris landed on his feet and Logan not as much as he crashed to the ground with an "Ooof".

Jaqueris scrolled over to his instructor to assist him, but the man waved him off. "I'm fine, kid, I've been through a bit worse than a little fall. I think that's enough for the day." He said rubbing the back of his neck

"Alright, then I'm…uh…gonna go then." He said awkwardly

Jaqueris expediently gathered his belongings, got dressed, and left. When the boy had left Wolverine heard a common voice in his head.

"_How did your session go with the new student?" _asked Charles

"_You were right, Chuck, we've got ourselves a Magneto Jr." _he thought backed

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><p>Man was that long, I'm glad I managed to write most of it yesterday or I'd still be writing. Per usual leave your reviews and I'll be encouraged to write, fair trade in my opinion.<p> 


	6. Revolutionary

**Revolutionary**

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><p>Jaqueris woke up around his allotted time and groggily made his way towards the bathroom. He'd now been at school a week and he had to say it was getting more and more comfortable. However a problem did register on Jaqueris' mind, the weekend was here and he had nothing to do. If circumstances were ideal he would return to the Bronx and spend time with his family, but obviously situations were not ideal.<p>

Jaqueris looked at the two metal balls on his nightstand that stood in front of his family photo. The Professor had given them to him so that he could constantly work on improving his powers. He went through the normal morning procedures and went over to pick up the round metal spheres. They were cold to touch and moderate in size, each about the size of a tangerine; he rolled them together in his hands and tried to concentrate.

The headmaster had recommended that Jaqueris first put his efforts into levitating the balls before moving on to the next step. Jaqueris now had the orbs in his open palm, he pictured them lifting from his hand and becoming suspended in the air. He thought he was getting somewhere because he felt heat going to his palm he opened his eyes to look but was met with the disappointment of seeing the small globes still sitting in his hand. Instead he felt the sensation of burning arise in his hands as the metal increased in temperature. He dropped them instinctually to avoid any further damage.

He rubbed the slight burn with his other hand vigorously trying to comfort the throbbing redness on his palm. The Bronx native groaned in displeasure at this development or lack thereof. He then put them in his pocket and went over to collect his bag. He was going to walk out of the door before the glint of moonlight reflecting from the ball caught his eye.

Now Jaqueris hated to fail in fact one could probably call it an irrational fear, but what he hated more was quitting as that was unacceptable and that went doubly for him. So begrudgingly he walked over and retrieved his training tools and placed them in his pocket. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he headed to his quiet spot in the garden of the Institute.

Jaqueris didn't know who was going to be at the school for the weekend as he neglected to ask David or Pixie where they were going. He arrived at his destination and began to set up. He pulled a box out of his bag that read Chess Pieces. Before too long the pieces were set in their respective positions. Jaqueris pulled the metal balls from his pocket and began to roll them again as he stared at the chessboard.

Footsteps drew his attention from the board game as he turned to intercept his regular. "Laura. Hi." He called to the girl

"Hello." She said in a monotone way

Laura seemed to come here just as often as Jaqueris and seemingly at the same time, the two had conversed during their time here, or rather Jaqueris asked questions and Laura answered in a short to the point way causing many awkward silences.

"Hey, you wanna play chess, it's always more interesting when it's not just me." He invited

The girl did not answer but instead walked over to the bench and sat at the other end of the chessboard effectively saying yes. Jaqueris placed his metal beside him as he prepared to play.

"Alright, do you prefer black or white?" he asked ready to rotate the board as white was currently on his side

"It does not matter." She informed confidently

Jaqueris nodded and left the board the way it was. He moved his king's pawn two squares up allowing motion from his bishop and queen as well as placing a piece of his in the center. Laura responded in kind with a mirror image of the move.

"So Laura, why are you still here? I'm sure you've got some family to visit somewhere, right?" he said trying to make conversation as he moved another piece

Laura took her turn as she answered but Jaqueris noticed a microexpression of regret in her face, "Yes. My aunt Debbie and my cousin Megan, but I cannot see them at present."

Jaqueris knew that something unpleasant must have happened involving her cousin and aunt, from her expression, so he decided to change the subject.

"Oh. What about your dad? Where's he?" he inquired

Her reaction to this question was more profound this time with the hand she was using to reach her bishop freezing for a moment before moving towards the piece again. "My _father_," she said as if she was unsure, "is close by I see him almost every day."

Jaqueris made his move taking a pawn of Laura's, "And your Mom, what about her?"

The girl's physical response to this question was the most noticeable as she inhaled sharply, her eyes lowered almost drooping, and the corner of her mouth twitched. The most reflective reaction however was when she crossed her hands over one another effectively making a barrier between Jaqueris and herself.

Jaqueris immediately regretted asking such a intrusive question without thinking, her body language clearly conveyed that the relationship between her and her mother was not on the best of terms and was about to tell her she didn't have to divulge anything but she continued.

"My mother is dead." She finally said

She hugged herself around her waist protectively and Jaqueris noted how similar she appeared to a small child. Feeling like an A-grade butthole Jaqueris attempted to make amends by placing a hand on Laura's shoulder, but was prevented from doing so when metal claws ejected from in between Laura's knuckles.

Jaqueris retracted his hand quickly surprised by the two razor sharp blades. Laura instantly had an ashamed look on her face, "I am sorry, I will leave now." She said getting up

"No, Laura wait." He said as he lightly grabbed her wrist careful to avoid the claws, "It's fine, though I admit I was a little freaked out by that. You don't have to go anywhere."

Laura looked at him with a hint of astonishment in her eyes. Did she really think he was going to shun her because of her mutation? In any case she returned to her previous seating position and moved her piece taking a knight of Jaqueris.

"So that's your power huh? What else can you do?" he wondered trying to relieve the tension

Laura was still recovering from Jaqueris' questioning as she was lightly rubbing her left elbow. "I have heightened senses and a regenerative healing factor as well as a third adamantium laced claw that protrudes between my first and second phalange located on my foot." She explained as if reading from a text book

Jaqueris glanced at Laura's foot as she mentioned this before he moved his queen into the fray robbing Laura of her bishop, Jaqueris had no idea what adamantium was but assumed it was the metal around the claws, "That's interesting" and he was not lying, "At least you can control yours. I can't even lift two little metal balls." He said holding the mentioned items up in his hand before placing them beside him once again

"Do you possess telekinesis?" she asked and Jaqueris was pretty sure that was the first question she had asked him

Jaqueris didn't know what that meant but using his rather large vocabulary he came up with moving with the mind "Uh…no electromagnetic control. Fundamental force of the universe." He said the last part with added mystery to try and incite a laugh from Laura.

His efforts however seemed futile as Laura did not respond how he had hoped. "But you know Laura I just realized we have more in common that the fact that we both play chess." He said

Laura moved her queen and removed Jaqueris' bishop, "What do you mean?" she asked

Laura seemd more involved in the conversation now however he wished it didn't have to happen the way it did. "I mean we've both lost someone very important to us. We've both lost our mother." He moved his rook into play and captured Laura's knight

She seemed to be considering something and Jaqueris didn't think it was the chess game as she wasn't in a particularly hazardous position. Jaqueris took this time for some self reflection, he normally avoided all thoughts pertaining to his family's demise, but it felt good to finally tell someone about it, it relieved the pressure if only slightly.

The two continued playing in silence for a while. Jaqueris took note of the fact that Laura was an attacker type player, the kind that relentlessly pursued their opponent, beating them back until they couldn't fight back. This was in contrast to his style which was far more subtle; he preferred laying traps for his adversary and lead them into their own defeat making his victory smooth.

He also noticed how their playing styles reflected their respective mutations. With Laura's power he assumed she was right in the middle of the action and was constantly on the offensive, and while his powers could be overt they could also be the opposite.

Silence now hovered over their game until Laura made the move of castling effectively putting her king in a protective barrier.

"That is another trait we share too." He said as he made a move of his own taking another piece of Laura

Laura raised her head showing she was waiting for his explanation as she made a somewhat strange move, "We both have a problem with engaging new people. Instead we set up barriers to isolate ourselves in the hopes in can protect us from getting hurt. There is one problem though."

"Is it not wise to protect oneself from harm?" she questioned

Jaqueris considered this before answering while he moved his King to protect himself from being put into check, "Always Laura, but the problem isn't trying to protect yourself, the problem lies in isolation. You see no matter how much we want to deny it we _people_ are a social species. We seek others for protection, for comfort, at the risk of being hurt in the process."

"Why would a person do such a thing if pain is almost assured?" she was now very interested in the conversation as she was leaning forward slightly and giving Jaqueris strong eye contact.

"It's because it's better than the alternative. To be alone is to be defeated; by yourself you have no allies to come to your aid and nowhere to escape danger. Because even if you have no friends, you will **always** have enemies. So it is better to mingle and risk the pain of rejection because once you do gain friends then at least when trouble comes you're not facing the threat alone." He finished as he moved a knight to protect his king

Laura studied the chess board, Jaqueris had effectively moved his pieces in a way where is King was almost completely protected by lesser pieces, almost. Laura made a sacrificial move that Jaqueris bit on opening up his defense.

"You are correct in your assessment of our similarities. However you were slightly mistaken in one aspect." She informed

Jaqueris quirked an eyebrow at this remark, "Oh, and what is that?"

Laura moved her piece into the hole that Jaqueris had unwittingly revealed earlier, "I am used to being alone." She said as she delivered checkmate

Jaqueris gazed at the board in disbelief and saw the predicament he was in. He studied from various angles and saw said situation was very bleak. He put his index finger to his forehead as his thumb held his chin. He closed his eyes as he tried to envision an escape route to this predicament.

Laura watched the boy as he began to go into a thinking position. Laura thought about what he had said, from the conversation they had she saw that he was far more insightful than the vast majority of people his age. He had a certain maturity about him allowing him to understand the world in a mostly unbiased format. The Wolverine clone had to admit it was quite…refreshing.

Laura continued to wait patiently for him make a move but movement caught her attention out the corner of her eye. The metal balls that Jaqueris had placed to his side began to shake slightly before they floated into the air. They rose until they were hovering beside Jaqueris' head and then they began to revolve in a circular motion.

"Jaqueris." Laura called to him

He opened his eyes slowly at his name; he was going to ask her what she needed, before he spotted the two orbs beside his head. The levitating spheres surprised him as he lost his concentration causing the orbs to fall to the ground and him knocking the chess pieces to the floor.

"Oh, crap, Laura can you help me pick these up?" he asked

Laura complied as she crouched down. They had collected the majority of the pieces save for one more the black queen. Both of them reached for the piece at the same time, but Laura's hand arrived slightly before his, but Jaqueris didn't perceive this as his hand landed on top of hers.

They both rescinded from the unexpected contact. Jaqueris lifted his head to apologize but stopped when he met Laura's emerald eyes. He never noticed before how much they shined, but now he did. He could smell her scent from this close he couldn't make out if it was natural or the result of shampoo.

Laura did not break the gaze either, but she was still slightly surprised when he held up the piece between their faces. "Last one." He said as he laughed nervously

He then stood with Laura following behind him. "Wolverine wishes to see you in the Danger Room." She said suddenly

Jaqueris put on a confused expression at the mention of "Danger Room". "Why didn't you tell me that before." He said it not in an accusatory tone but that didn't stop Laura from looking at him in a minor ashamed way

"I was.. distracted." She said

Jaqueris nodded as he put his pieces back in their proper places as Laura did the same. He also made sure to return the balls to his pocket.

"You're gonna have to show me, cause I have no idea where that is." He admitted

Laura brushed a stray strand of hair from her face before she walked past Jaqueris. He didn't follow immediately taking his time to look into the air; the sun would be high in the sky soon.

The two walked in silence as Laura led Jaqueris to the subbasement area leading to the training room. She stopped in front of the door and turned to Jaqueris indicating he was to enter alone.

Jaqueris walked towards the door and it opened automatically, Jaqueris stepped inside to view a spherical chrome room.

"I am sorry." Said Laura

Jaqueris turned around to ask for what before the door behind him closed abruptly. His instincts immediately went on edge as he stepped backwards until his back was against the wall. He felt the wall to find it didn't feel like a wall.

He turned to the entrance had become a large rock and now the entire room resembled a lush jungle. Green trees rose far into the sky, as the moon cast down its soft light. Needless to say Jaqueris felt it was impossible for a room to shift into a jungle in the span of a few seconds, but that was what was occurring.

Up in the control center which was obscured now because of the transformation of the landscape, Wolverine watched to boy carefully. The door opened behind him, but Logan didn't need to look to know who it was, he knew his own smell better than anything.

"Good job, kid, getting him down her and all without him finding out what he'd be doing down here." He congratulated

His clone walked up beside him as she observed Jaqueris. He was walking around cautiously as he tried to discern any visible threat.

"Was this necessary?" she asked

Logan noticed the amount of concern subtly present in her voice. "Don't worry X, the settings are on the lower levels and the lasers are set at stun." He informed

"Lasers?" she said to herself

Jaqueris was being viewed through a red lenses that had a reticule focusing on his torso, with several circles radiating outwards. A strange whirring sound rung through the air as a flash of red light shot through the green brush and headed towards Jaqueris.

Jaqueris held up his hands to his chest as the blast struck him and lifted him off his feet causing him to land a few feet backwards.

"Wow, that was quicker 'an I expected. Guess we better go get him." Said Logan as he turned towards the doorway

Laura however did not follow him as she was still looking downwards at Jaqueris, "He is not defeated." She said

Logan stopped and looked back before he returned to his original position. "What are yer' talkin' about he got hit square in the chest." Said Logan

Laura simply pointed and said, "Look."

Logan peered closely at the scene in front of him. Jaqueris was breathing heavily as he recalled what just happened. He had been attacked from an unknown source firing lasers, he heard the blast approaching him with the distinctive sound it made, similar to the sound a hot pocket made when it was rapidly heated still inside the plastic wrapper, he put his hands up instinctively to defend himself and was sent flying once it contacted with him.

He landed roughly and felt the slight pain in his tail bone from the fall. He expected this to be the least of his problems after realizing he got hit with a laser. However this was not the case as he could still feel the heat the laser was giving off as he was holding it in his hands. It illuminated brightly in his hands before dissipating into them.

"He…caught it." Said Logan in shock

Laura said nothing and continued viewing.

Jaqueris quickly rose to his feet to try and make out his assailants. However he couldn't make out anything due to the brush obscuring his vision.

Just as this thought passed his mind, his vision changed. Instead of the normal human sense of sight he normally possessed he began to see images in colors of red. "Thermal Vision." He said to himself. Trees and plants gave off no such light appearing a blank gray color but what did proved to be interesting.

A humanoid figure was standing within the brush and seemed to have a gun attached to its arm. It was slightly hunched over and had large three pronged toes which looked similar to hind legs. Looking closer Jaqueris realized it was not alone there seemed to be 4 more robots accompanying it.

The robot jumped high into the air and was going to land on Jaqueris until he rolled to the side. For some reason Jaqueris felt the urge to go into his pocket. He reached inside and pulled out the two orbs. He could feel a certain field encompassing the orbs and was drawn to it.

"Here goes nothing." He said holding the ferrous spheres out in his outstretched hand.

One of the spheres zoomed out of his palm at great speeds, and pierced through the head of the robot causing it to fall to the ground. The body quickly disappeared as it no longer gave off a heat signature.

The other four robots decided to join the fray as they landed in front of mutant. Jaqueris quickly pointed his hand in the direction of the leftmost robot ending it the same way as his metallic companion. Jaqueris then realized that he had effectively lost his only two offensive weapons.

The three remaining robots seemed to notice this as they opened rapid fire on Jaqueris. He put up his arms in anticipation of the pain that was sure to follow, but it never came. Jaqueris put down his arms to see that the robots were still firing, but the lasers stopped several feet in front of their target.

Going on instinct, Jaqueris drew back his arm before pushing forward. The robots were thrown violently from the ground and cut through the air and landed hard. Jaqueris took this time to catch his breath, before his hands began to crackle with strong currents of electricity.

Not wanting his enemies to recover, he rushed towards the nearest automaton and delivered a strong right uppercut. Surprisingly, the blow didn't hurt Jaqueris, but the machine wasn't so lucky. Jaqueris then sent a bolt to a robot to his left, when it struck the robot shook fiercely before blowing up into a magnificent explosion.

Jaqueris then felt a numbing pain his right arm as a laser struck him. He remained on his feet however and avoided another projectile by rolling away. He quickly assessed that his arm was paralyzed. The robot that was responsible took aim and was about to fire another shot when a white light melted through the gun and half of its body. It exploded moments later as the light in Jaqueris' eyes died down.

Jaqueris stood as he felt the opportunity for a respite. However this was short lived when he spotted movement within his peripheral vision. The robot he had struck was still operational. It herked and jerked uncontrollably as it made its way towards Jaqueris.

It didn't get far before its movement stopped. It fell to its knees as if a great weight had appeared on its back. It shuddered before sparks began to fly out of its body, its arm snapped in half as its body flattened like a pancake. A large crater appeared as the ground gave way under this mysterious pressure.

Jaqueris scanned the area with his thermal vision to ensure he was totally alone. The visage of the jungle began to disappear as the room returned to its normal appearance.

The entrance that had previously disappeared reappeared and opened as Logan and Laura walked inside.

"Thanks for the warning guys! I really appreciated it!" he said visibly irritated

"You're welcome." Said Logan, he then glanced at the arm Jaqueris was holding limply by his side.

"Don't worry about that arm. You should have yer feeling back in about 30 minutes." He informed

"Why'd you do this?" Jaqueris said looking at Laura

Logan moved into his gaze, "Don't go blaming her I did it because the Professor wanted to test a theory and I decided this was the best way to go about it."

"A theory?" he questioned

"Yeah, this little exercise proves your powers are emotion based. Meaning you flip out, things blow up. That's why the Professor wants you to take meditation classes." He said gracefully

Jaqueris listened to this, but he also caught the subtle meaning between the lines, he was too dangerous to just **be** he had to be trained. This revelation didn't entirely sit well with him as he brushed past Logan and grabbed his backpack.

He quickly left the Danger Room and ascended to the surface, despite Logan stating his arm would be fine in 30 minutes he could already feel his arm again and could already clinch his fist and move his arm up and down.

He exited the elevator to find quite a few students in the building, he even spotted David with Sophia and a metal girl with red hair, but he wasn't in the mode to talk to anyone so he took an alternate route.

He went out the back way to his "spot" which was sure to be empty. He was however rebuffed when he heard talking.

"Hurry up and pass it over here." Said a voice Jaqueris recognized as female.

"Don't get your panties in a bundle." Said another male voice

Jaqueris carefully walked into the garden and rounded the corner to see a boy with brown hair standing at 5'8" he was with a girl who had similar hair and black eyes. They were holding a black canister with a red X enclosed in a circle resembling an inhaler.

"What are you two doing?" Jaqueris questioned without thinking

The two looked surprised at his appearance as the girl quickly hid the canister.

"Look if you two are getting high, I don't have a problem, I'll just be leaving…" he said

"Wait" called the boy "You don't have to go anywhere we were just doing some Kick." He informed putting his hand on Jaqueris' shoulder

Jaqueris felt a lurching sensation when the boy touched him as if he was the most repulsive thing he'd ever seen, but fought it for courtesy's sake.

"What's Kick?"

The boy looked at the girl as they both laughed at an unknown joke. The boy held out his hand and the girl threw the canister to him.

"It gives you extra control and power." He said smiling

"Over what?" Jaqueris questioned suspiciously

Something about this boy rubbed him the wrong way like there was something sinister just beneath the surface.

"Your mutation of course. Also it feels pretty damn good doing it, too." He said offering the canister to the boy

Jaqueris looked at the small item with apprehension, he knew a bad situation when he saw one and this was definitely one. Still that didn't mean he wasn't susceptible to its influence. He also felt something in the back of his mind egging him on to take the Kick.

"What's your name?" asked Jaqueris

The boy smiled with this creepy grin, "Quentin Quire."

A voice pushed him subliminally and it was stronger this time, but Jaqueris felt like it was his own mind pushing him to take the bottle.

"**Go on, what could it hurt?" **it said seductively

And Jaqueris wondered what could it possibly hurt?

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><p>Man I always write chapters worrying about not being able to get to a certain amount of pages, but I always manage to go overboard. Anyway leave your reviews so I can continue writing.<p> 


	7. Return to Your Roots

**Return to Your Roots**

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><p>"28." Counted David aloud. He and Jaqueris were in the weight room of the mansion on an early Saturday morning. David had to admit he was somewhat surprise when Jaqueris appeared to his room door asking to work out with him. He was also impressed at his physical condition, in a totally straight way of course.<p>

He was currently doing his fifth set of pull-ups and was working on completing his 30th repetition. Which were 5 sets and 29 more repetitions than what David himself was capable of doing. The two had been working out all morning with David struggling to keep up after the initial set of workouts. Jaqueris let go of the suspended bar letting him land on the ground.

"Okay, David, you remember the bet if you can do 25 straight full pull-ups then I owe you 25 dollars." He said smiling

"Can't it be a dollar for every one I **attempt**?" he asked hopefully

"Sure, but you won't get paid. By me anyway." Jaqueris informed

David sighed as he jumped up to grab the bar and begin his set. It was around his fifth that the door leading into the room opened. In walked Megan in a yellow leotard with her pink hair tied back. She was accompanied by a girl that David said was named Cessily Kincaid. Saying her appearance was exotic would be an understatement.

The girls came in the door behind the two boys so they did not notice them at the moment.

"Come on David you're at 17." Urged Jaqueris chuckling to himself

He was getting great amusement as his friend began to slow in pulling his chin up to the bar with every dip. Then his vision went dark as small hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who and you get a treat." Said Megan playfully

Jaqueris smiled, "What do I get if I guess wrong?" he asked

"Um…" Megan removed one hand to put one finger under her chin in a thinking position. "Hello, Megan." Jaqueris took the opportunity provided by her lapse in mental capacity to turn around and grab her out of the air and began tickling her.

The two rolled around with Megan giggling wildly. Cessily took a position in front of David, "That is so adorable, don't you think?" she said

"I'll be sure to throw up after I finish my set. 20, 21, 22." He continued

Megan and Jaqueris ceased their playing with Megan, face red, lying on the ground and Jaqueris leaning over her. Jaqueris turned towards David, "Come David 3 more."

David pushed extremely hard to pull his chin to the bar but managed to get there for his 23rd rep.

"What are you guys, doing?" asked Cessily curiously

"We've got a bet going on. David has to do 25 reps for 25 dollars, isn't that right David?" he teased

David knew what the boy was trying to do. He was trying to distract him from accomplishing his task, but it wasn't going to work. Alleyne pulled himself up for the 24th time. The girls decided it was time for them to add their own spin to this bet.

"Come on David, you can do it." Coached Cessily

"Yeah" Megan sat up from the floor and flew over to David, "Just one more time!"

"Twenty-five dollars David, just get it done and you can have it." Said Jaqueris

"_Damn them!" _thought David; there distractions were doing their job as he was finding it harder and harder to meet his goal. He was more than half way there by now until he felt his arms give out causing him to fall to the floor.

"Aaaahhh, you almost made it to David." Said Megan

"I guess you need to spend more time in here, huh?" interjected Cessily

David frowned as his friends mocked him; he'd been so close to the 25 dollars just one more pullup and he would've had it. Jaqueris moved in front of him to help him up by extending his hand.

"Man, I've gotta give it to you though. I didn't think you'd get past 15 and you broke twenty, so." He slapped David's to pull him to his feet.

David felt the thin feeling of paper in his hand as he was pulled to his feet. Once he was up he looked at the twenty and five dollar bill in his hand.

"Who says being lazy doesn't pay?" he joked as they all shared a chuckle.

The girls then began their own workouts as the boys finished their own. However David and Jaqueris stayed around to talk to them about a wide variety of topics.

"So I was almost hit by a car, but then these guys decide to sprout out and the rest is history." Shared Megan

The four were currently sharing the stories of how their mutations arose. Cessily had told how she found patches of metal appear on her skin, before liquefying completely then reconstituting into her current form. Next was David, who that he was born with his mutation and just kept it secret for a time. Pixie had just finished in relaying her story and now it was Jaqueris' turn.

He personally did not want to share this piece of information about his past, the wounds still quite raw, but he knew they would question him. After all the two had no idea how his powers manifested save for David who had been apart of the team to recruit him.

"So, what about you Jaqueris? When did your powers show up?" asked Cessily

Jaqueris didn't answer immediately instead he stared at the roof of the workout area giving the impression that he was not going to answer until he finally said, "I was hungry one day and…I stared at my hot pocket long enough and it started to heat up." He said anticlimactically

The two mutant girls groaned at being cheated out of a potentially exciting story, "You're so lame, Jaqueris." Said Megan

Jaqueris and David just smirked at one another. "I could've told you that." Said a voice from the doorway

The quartet looked up from their sitting position to find Julian with Santo and another black youth with dreadlocks that Jaqueris didn't recognize. Jaqueris narrowed his eyes at the trio and stood with David, Cessily, and Megan following.

"Cessily, what are you doing with these losers?" Julian said

"I can hang out with anyone I want to Julian. David and Jaqueris are cool." She defended

Julian gave Jaqueris a conceited look, "Oh yeah Jaqueris, you know I googled you?" he said circling him like a certain bird of prey.

"I'm flattered but I have a strict diet of no sausage." Jaqueris said blankly

A chuckle escaped from the mouths of Santo and the unnamed boy, but a quick glare from Julian ceased this immediately. Jaqueris then decided that the term cronies or lackeys accurately described Julian's two companions. They were the types that were too stupid or too afraid to stand on their own two feet so they relied on some other asshole, namely Julian.

"I mean I found some interesting facts, and I don't mean all those basketball accolades or all-team selections no your people were always good at that" David and Jaqueris both glared daggers into Julian at this point, "I'm talking about the arrest warrant when you.."

Jaqueris grabbed Julian by the collar intending to throw across the room, but was stopped in this endeavor by a craggily maw picked him up around his neck.

"Hey, now, I think you've might've gone too far with that one." Said Santo as he reared back to strike Jaqueris

"Put him down, Santo!" cried Pixie as she began to pull at the boy's stony digits as he choked Jaqueris

"Yeah, Santo, don't be such a jerk!" added Cessily

"No way, he's had this coming for a long time." He said as he reared back his

"Stop kidding around Julian tell him to stop!" ordered David

Julian acted as if he didn't hear the boy and continued smiling at the struggling form of Jaqueris.

Now the former basketball player was normally a patient person, but his patience did not extend to those that were depriving him of his precious oxygen. "You…should listen to her Santo." Warned Jaqueris

As he grabbed Santo's fingers both of Jaqueris' hands began to glow a deep red color which was surprising because he was black. As the dramatic color change occurred his hands also began to emit an extreme temperature so much in fact that Santo's hand disintegrated into dust.

"Dude, your hand!" yelled the black boy as Jaqueris fell to the ground gasping for air

"Are you all right?" asked Pixie with as she kneeled beside him

Jaqueris nodded, but Santo decided to intervene, "He's not going to be in a few minutes." He said as he raised his massive foot prepared to step on Jaqueris.

Not really thinking Jaqueris extended his hand and at his command Santo was sent barreling backwards clear across the room into a rack of dumbbells. One even fell on his head as he landed.

The dreadhead decided this was his time to jump in as went to grab Jaqueris while he was still on the floor. However David grabbed his wrist then delivered a fast strike to his nose making him stagger backwards from the blow.

"Come on you guys, don't fight!" said Megan in a desperate tone

"Yeah, you're all acting like two year olds!" chimed in Cessily

David and Jaqueris ignored their pleas, and then turned to the ringleader, Julian who just stood there with an overconfident smirk. He began to clap his hands in a mocking manner.

"Bravo. Bravo, are you two available for parties?"

The two African-American teens dismissed his wise crack and they both lunged at him but as they traveled a certain distance they found they were stuck in the air by a mysterious green energy. Suddenly they were both pushed backwards into the broad mirror on the wall.

Jaqueris could feel the blood run down the side of his face as the glass cut through his flesh. David was in a similar position as he tried to fight the force that was pinning them to the wall.

"You two have provided some excellent entertainment, but I've gotta go now." Said Julian his voice like a cheese grater on a chalkboard

He then walked towards Santo and the boy who now had a bloody nose. "You're both pathetic you know that?"

He then walked out of the room with them both close behind.

When Julian left the room the ethereal energy that had them suspended against the glass finally subsided allowing them both to fall to floor. David landed not too gracefully on his but while Jaqueris landed on his feet, fists already clinched.

Megan and Cessily instantly made their way to them, "Are you guys alright?" they both asked

David nodded ok, while Jaqueris said nothing he had hurt something far more important than any physical injury.

"You're bleeding." Said Megan as she went to touch his cheek where the cut. Jaqueris however rejected her touch by moving his face away and walking in the direction of the door.

"I'm fine." He said as he exited leaving the three alone as they stared at the door.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was alone sitting in his usual spot, on the surface he seemed calm, but internally he was fuming. Briefly the quote by JFK went through his head, <em>"Don't get mad, get even." It said<em>

But Jaqueris quickly saw the flaw in this reasoning as Julian would be constantly surrounded by his two goons and no matter how much he hated to admit it he doubted he could take all three of them. Hell he wasn't sure if he could take Julian one-on-one, and he didn't even know the powers of the new boy who was with them.

"Dammit!" he said as he covered his mouth and gritted his teeth. He sensed a presence approach him as tried to calm down.

"You are angry." Stated Laura

Jaqueris wondered how was it that they always seemed to find one another here. Jaqueris made room for her, "Yeah, I guess you can say that."

Laura noticed the wound on his cheek when she first arrived and felt that she wanted to assist him but didn't know if it was acceptable for her to try. She made her way to his side and sat beside him, she could tell by his scent that he was almost furious, but was holding it in check.

"Who did this to you?" she questioned

"Julian Keller." He said clenching his fists at the name

Laura's heartbeat skipped at the name, she had met the boy when she first arrived at the school and had found him intriguing, just like Jaqueris. Though there were differences; Julian was brash and very vocal, telling the harsh truth to anyone and everyone and not making attempts to hide his dislike of others. Jaqueris was more reserved, but not quiet or shy, seeming to talk when it was of relevance. He was also more considerate of others feelings in contrast to Julian's callous dismissal of others opinion. In the end they were very different people, but managed to have the same effect on Laura.

Jaqueris punched his hand in frustration, "Where does he get off, I mean digging into people's history like that?" Laura got the impression that they were no longer talking about what had just occurred when Jaqueris mentioned history.

"Your history is unpleasant?" she asked as she turned her torso towards him causing her knees and feet to point directly at him.

"A little, there are some things I'm not proud of." He said as Jaqueris did a similar movement, but didn't turn his lower half.

Jaqueris looked at Laura and found himself stuck on her eyes once again; he found it hard not to stare in them every time they talked.

"It all started when…" Jaqueris began but stopped when Laura's head snapped to the left with Jaqueris following suite. Megan was floating in the air holding a bottle of peroxide and a hand towel.

"Um…am I interrupting something?" she said nervously

Jaqueris returned to a neutral position while Laura stood up from the bench. "I should leave." She said

She moved too fast for Jaqueris to offer an argument. She walked past Megan who gave her a look which was unreadable to Jaqueris. Megan then fluttered over to Jaqueris who found his hands very interesting.

A sharp pain on his cheek caused him to snap his head away. "You have to clean it!" said Megan

"Are you my mother now?" he said smiling

"Only if you want me to be." She said smirking

Jaqueris appreciated the boldness and rewarded it by ceasing to squirm from the touch of the cloth. Megan then wiped the dried blood away from his skin before moving on to the lesion. He flinched from the bacteria killing liquid but allowed her to continue.

After finishing with the cleaning she placed a pink bandage on his cheek. Jaqueris looked at her handiwork and found it unacceptable.

"Really?" he said pointing at the bandage as he went to remove it but was stopped when Megan gently grabbed his hand.

"No! Keep it on for me, please?" she said with a sweet smile

"Fine, but the minute someone throws a comment my way about the color, its coming off." He said

Jaqueris noticed that Megan had neglected to let go of his hand. She must have been a telepath because she soon removed her hand as he thought this. A light blush spread across her cheeks as she stepped back a little. Jaqueris then perhaps, subconsciously, rubbed the new bandage on his cheek.

"That stuff Julian was talking about in the weight room…was it true?" she asked tentatively

Jaqueris stopped his rubbing and gave Megan a look that made her regret saying anything. He cupped his hands as he turned away from Megan. A sad expression appeared on her face as she realized to late her mistake.

"Don't apologize." He said before she had a chance to say anything

"It's just…you see me and my cousin were different back then. We were looking to get some money and didn't wanna ask our parents so.." he began

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

Jaqueris and Keenan were sitting on a car that did not belong to them. It was dark out and anyone would find it strange to find two 13 year old boys up and about during this time.

"Man, how long more do we have?" said Keenan impatiently

Jaqueris looked up at the moon before answering, "You know patience is a virtue." He told him

"You should stop reading so much." He said pushing Jaqueris' shoulder

He returned the gesture, "Maybe you should start. And we have only 3 minutes."

They were across the street from a prestigious house complete with an ornate gate. They had been staking out for over an hour now and Jaqueris could slightly see why his cousin was losing his tolerance. Then the flood lights illuminating the house finally shut off as well as the lights inside the house signifying the residents were going to bed. The kids took this as the sign to put on their leather gloves.

"All right, ya see." Said Jaqueris tapping Keenan's shoulder as he jumped down. "About time." He answered

The two approached from the side and jumped inside the brush. Slowly they crouched towards their targe, a camera that scanned from left to right at a 3-4 second interval, pressing against the wall. They were no more than a few feet from the main gate before Keenan held out his hand.

Jaqueris went inside the backpack he was carrying and retrieved a black spray can. Keenan took the container as Jaqueris got on all fours allowing his kin to step on his back. He grunted from the extra weight placed on his backside.

"You really need to work out more." He said

Keenan ignored him as he leaned to his right he waited for the camera to come close enough to where he could reach it without revealing his face. He then sprayed the contents of the can over the lenses of the security camera.

"Alright we're good." Said Keenan

He then stepped off of Jaqueris' back and got on one knee with his hands cupped. Jaqueris walked a few feet in front of Jaqueris before running towards him. He stepped into Keenan's cupped hands and using his momentum Keenan was able to push him to the top of the wall.

Jaqueris then lengthened his arm down to Keenan who grabbed his hand with both of his. Jaqueris groaned from the weight pulling at his shoulder now, but fought through it as he helped to pull Keenan up. They both sat at the top of the wall to catch their breath, "Man, we've been practicing that for weeks, and I still can't believe it actually worked." Said Jaqueris

"Yeah. Alright breaks over, let's go." Said Keenan jumping from the top of the wall. He observed the freshly and expertly cut lawn of the estate and spotted a dog tied down near the middle of the grass.

Jaqueris landed with a thud beside Keenan, "We're in luck the dog's sleeping. Let's go!" he walked towards the door, but Jaqueris stopped his progress.

"You never walk straight into an enemy's door. This is too easy." He took out the black spray can and squeezed the nozzle. The paint drifted through the air to reveal infrared lasers that hovered slightly above the ground.

"Good instincts. You got any ideas how we're getting around that." Commended Keenan

Jaqueris looked around and spotted a lamp above their head. He grabbed a rock and knocked out a good chunk earning him a respectable shard of glass. He then took the shard and placed and dug it between the ground where the laser had been revealed to be. He sprayed again to confirm his theory. The laser had been successfully diverted in a direction that would not be a threat to Jaqueris or Keenan.

"Nice, we might need more of these shards." Said Keenan as he carefully gathered them in his hands

The duo made their way towards the door with a process, Jaqueris would spray every few feet to ensure they were not about to trip the alarm and when they encountered a beam Keenan would plant a remnant of the mirror to take care of the alarm system. They did this until arrived at the door.

Jaqueris shook the can as they stood at the entrance, "Let's hope this door doesn't have a trip alarm." He said as he deposited the empty can inside the knapsack

Keenan hunkered down at the key hole and took out a bobby pin and a thin screwdriver. He fiddled with it for a relatively long time stopping every so often to wipe the sweat from his brow. It wasn't too long after this that a click sounded off signifying the door was unlocked. A growl from the dog almost made the two jump before they realized it was still asleep.

Keenan looked at Jaqueris anxiously as he prepared to open the door. If there was an alarm on the door they were as good as caught, "Well, who dares wins." He quoted before pushing the door open softly

A sigh of relief escaped both of the family member's mouths before they entered the door. Jaqueris closed it softly behind them.

"Woah, for a high school coach this guy makes a pretty good living." Said Keenan admiring what he could make out in the dark

"Let's not take too long to sight see, unless we're taking it with us."

Keenan then took off the backpack he was carrying and began to gather items indiscriminately.

"Remember, don't take too much or it'll weigh us down." Warned Jaqueris

Keenan seemed to be satisfied with his loot he picked up his bag. "Alright, that should be enough let's go." Jaqueris saw the bulging sack he was holding and said, "I said not to take too much."

"Relax, we're home free, now." He said confidently however he rethought this when lights leading upstairs snapped on. This startled Keenan as he turned quickly causing his obese bag to knock a lamp from a high table, shattering as it hit the floor.

"Who's down there?" said a deep male voice as footsteps were heard

"Shit! Run!" bellowed Jaqueris

They both bashed through the door, waking the watch dog, they completely forgot about the fact that the grounds were covered in infrared alarms as they made a mad dash to the gate. The dog began barking madly behind them and Jaqueris looked back to see a figure running downstairs into the living room.

Jaqueris had no weight on his back and because of this was far ahead of Keenan who was running at a snail's pace towards the gate. He was halfway there when disaster struck. The over flowing bag burst open as various objects fell to the ground.

"Forget about them, let's go!" he called

Jaqueris was already in the same position used to vault the wall and was awaiting Keenan. He finally arrived and quickly was up in the air.

"Come on!" said Keenan as he offered his hand

Jaqueris grabbed it and felt his heart relax after climbing to the top. Keenan was already on the ground and waiting for Jaqueris before he disappeared behind the wall.

He fell to the ground and to his surprise it wasn't on the outside; he looked up to the owner of the house who was looking at him with angry eyes.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris finished his story and waited for Megan's response.<p>

"Wow, I never would've guessed." She said

"Lucky for me not many people do. But that jerk was out of line trying to tell everyone like that. I mean it doesn't feel good when people look at you and see a thief." He said his anger rising again

Megan knelt down in front of him and cupped his face in her hands, "I don't think you're a thief." She said closing the distance between their face

Their lips brushed softly against one another before Jaqueris moved in to complete the kiss. Her lips were soft yet soothing. Her tongue made its way into his mouth as they both wrestled for control.

"Wow. I guess this isn't the best time, huh?" said a voice

Megan and Jaqueris broke their intimate moment with Megan turning a new shade of red, Jaqueris turned to see who had interrupted them to find David and Sophie along with a boy he did not recognize at the door.

"Ms. Moonstar wants us, there's a new mutant appearance." He said


	8. Return to Your Roots Part 2

**Return to Your Roots Pt. 2**

Jaqueris was walking with Sophia, David, and the unnamed boy who had a sullen air radiating from him. They had also retrieved Laurie Collins on the way to their destination. The crew were heading towards Professor X's office to be briefed on what David called a "recruitment mission" apparently they were on their way to bring a new mutant to the school.

"So, you and Tinkerbelle, huh?" said David teasingly

David was referring to the fact that Jaqueris and Megan had been caught in a rather compromising position just before David pulled Jaqueris away for their current task.

"Who's he?" asked Jaqueris trying to change the subject

David chuckled to himself knowing he had succeeded in making Jaqueris uncomfortable, "That's Kevin Ford, he was supposed to be a part of the team that helped recruit you the first time we met, but…" he trailed off as he stared at the brooding boy.

"Yeah, he's Laurie's crush." Said Sophia teasingly

The boy seemed to twitch at the girls name making Jaqueris wonder if it was true, "No, he's not. I mean Kevin's nice, but I don't think…" she argued softly

Sophia put her arm around Laurie in a sisterly fashion as she blushed in embarrassment.

"So, Jaqueris, how long have you and Megan been going out?" asked Sophia

A frown crossed Jaqueris' face, "Since when did my personal life become such an interesting topic?" he said trying to march ahead of the two

"Since you neglected to hide it." Said David

Sophia and David laughed at Jaqueris' discomfort, "I mean come on Jaqueris despite the _eccentricity _of the students here, this is high school, and it's next to impossible to hide who likes who." Said Sophia

Kevin rolled his eyes at their laughter, but because his back was to the other three they were not aware of this. He'd been silent for the entire conversation and didn't feel a need to involve himself now especially given the topic.

"Especially with people that talk like you too. Can we just forget my exploits for a moment?" he offered

The two institute students stopped their teasing momentarily as they came in on Xavier's office. They entered to find Danielle Moonstar and a lady with black hair and brown eyes, who seemed to be of Vietnamese descent standing in front of the desk of the headmaster.

"Ah, glad you four could join us; I was just informing Danielle and Xi'an of the situation." He said

"What exactly is the situation?" asked Jaqueris respectfully

The X-men leader nodded his head, "A new mutant has arisen in New York, but his case is delicate." Said the Professor slowly

"Home sweet home." Said Jaqueris under his breath

"You four are going to accompany us while Danielle and I recruit him." Said Xi'an

"As I said, his case is delicate. He seems to be dabbling in anti-mutant groups so you two must be careful in how you approach him." Explained the Professor looking at the two women

"What's his name?" asked Danielle

Jaqueris, Sophia, Laurie, and David perked up as the conversation steered in this direction ever so curious. Kevin didn't seem to care in the slightest what the topic was currently on. The Professor must've sensed their reactions as he stayed silent for an instant increasing the suspense.

"Joshua Foley." He said

A light burst above in the ceiling at the reveal of the latest mutant. Every eye in the room turned to Jaqueris expecting an explanation.

"Sorry." Was what they got as Jaqueris turned away slightly to hide his mounting temper.

* * *

><p>Josh was currently sitting among an assembly of like minded individuals. They were all currently waiting for the arrival of their benefactor a man named Donald Pierce. The crowd had grown somewhat restless as the man had not arrived at the allotted time. Standing on stage were a platoon of threatening looking men who stood as still as statues.<p>

"So what do you think this Pierce guy is like?" said a man beside Josh

"I have no clue Duncan, you've been apart of the Reavers longer than I have. You telling me you don't know what the man is like?" said Josh

"Yeah, I do, but it's always good to get a fresh opinion." He said

Josh snorted at his friends reasoning, he began to tap his foot lightly in anticipation. He was rewarded for his patience when a voice rang through the air.

"Brothers, Brothers, calm yourselves." He said calming the crowd

The man was tall with blue eyes and blond hair but the most important trait of his was the fact that he spoke with conviction and purpose, despite only saying a few words, causing Josh to lean forward to listen to more.

"I know why you all are here and I know you are anxious for _ACTION!_" his last word managed to incite agreements from the crowd

"I also am aware of who you wish to take action against… the mutants" he left his sentence unfinished as more sounds of conformity surfaced into the air before he continued, "and I assure you we will do just that, but some of you are in need of…enhancements!"

When he said this he held up his arm as it morphed into an elongated blade which glinted from the lights in the room. The crowd hushed in astonishment at this new development. Pierce inwardly smiled at their shock.

"Rest assured these modifications are not the result of any vile mutation, but rather the result of science. With these tools we will be able to battle evenly with this domestic menace." He said

Josh didn't exactly like the idea of becoming a cyborg. For one what they were fighting against was not human so wouldn't becoming part robot move them closer to what they were trying to defeat.

"Are all these alterations really necessary!" voiced Josh standing up

All the attention of the crowd, Donald Pierce, and even some of the guards was placed on the bold adolescent. Donald observed the young boy with interest if with a little frustration.

"I mean humanity is what we're trying to preserve, but you're asking us to become like you." He said

Murmurs rushed through the crowd and Donald knew nothing could change a majority more quickly than whispers especially when those whispers discredited the value of a leader.

"Josh, what the hell are you doing?" whispered Duncan tugging coarsely at his arm

"I understand your trepidation, but I assure you it is very necessary. The enemy we face is very powerful and merciless, but if you really doubt me please I will demonstrate." He said motioning toward the stage

Josh had not expected this reaction, but continued with the situation he was in as he left his seat and walked toward the stage. He met several eyes as he neared the podium of Donald Pierce. He grew more anxious as he neared the man who had yet to reform his hand into its normal appearance.

Pierced faced the crowd, "Now on with the demonstration." He then quickly spun around and sliced David across the arm. David fell to the ground as an intense pain coursed through his affected area.

He expected blood to be spurting out in pints, but to his surprise he found that he wasn't bleeding and in fact he felt no more pain. He looked at Pierce who had his back to him now as he addressed the crowd once more.

"Please believe, everything I have done is to ensure the absolute destruction of this plague known as mutants. If you intend to do the same, you will realize that nothing…NOTHING is too high a price to pay to obliterate _them!_" he finished

The crowd erupted in applause and clapping as they whole heartedly agreed with this dogma. Josh was still reeling over his lack of injury a new faith implanted in his mind.

* * *

><p>The six mutants were walking through the streets of New York on the way to the hotel they would be staying in. Jaqueris had an unmistakable look of anger on his face.<p>

"Jaqueris, you are really angry at this mission aren't you?" asked Laurie

Jaqueris was a little taken aback at her talking to him, she seemed the nervous type and add to the fact that he wasn't trying to hide his outrage made it all the more shocking. He felt his temper subside a little.

"Of course, this guy we're going to get he's a racist, I can't understand why the Professor would want someone like him in his school." He said with a surprisingly level demeanor

"You sound like you know him." She said

He found that he had calmed down considerably while he was talking to her and the change was so subtle that he hadn't noticed it.

"I know his type. They're always the same. And the fact that he led a mob of mutant hating bigots to try and kill me doesn't help either." He said

Shock adorned her face as she thought back to the day where they first met, "What if he's changed?"

Jaqueris thought about this for a moment he'd never given that scenario pause for thought, but even though he already knew his answer, "People like him don't change…ever." He said seriously

Laurie looked at him as he walked ahead of her a frown returning to his face, her pheromones had succeeded in calming him and she even managed to get him in a good mood, but was distracted when he revealed the boy was among the lynch mob that attacked him causing her to lose her concentration.

Laurie looked at Jaqueris' back with a look of sympathy, before jogging to catch up with the rest of her squad.

The mutants were now in the lobby room of one of the many hotels of New York. Jaqueris had never stayed in a hotel in his hometown, but one look at the lobby room and he questioned why. There was a huge glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling, filling the room with an extravagant light giving the entire building a look of elegance.

"You four stay here, while Xi'an and I go talk to the recruit." Ordered Danielle as she and her companion walked out of the door

This left the four students to their own devices, Jaqueris had put in some headphones playing "Bleed it Out" by Linkin Park, he looked to the other three and saw that Laurie was talking to Sophia.

"So are you nervous to be meeting this Derek guy, Soph?" she asked

"A little, he was like a father to me and it seems like it's been such a long time since we last talked."

"What about your dad?" questioned Laurie

Jaqueris was watching them and saw Laurie's face go from one of delightful anticipation to one with a mix of sadness and anger with the former being more prevalent. Jaqueris wasn't sure what they were talking about exactly but he took a guess that it involved someone close to Sophia perhaps Kevin.

The four sat in the lobby area for fifteen minutes before Jaqueris decided he needed some fresh air. He walked outside the lobby area and heard David call after him.

"Where are you going?" he said

"Relax, I'm just feeling nostalgic." He called back

He walked outside and leaned on a wall. He really was feeling nostalgic now that he actually had a chance to observe his surroundings. They were not too far away from his home at the moment, but it would take a while if one decided to walk. Jaqueris played with idea before deciding that he would probably be left behind if he went ahead with it.

He began to watch the natural movement of the city, the mass of people walking, the endless wave of taxis, and the hustle and bustle of New York City. He really was home. He watched the steel jungle habitat for a good amount of time, before deciding to return to the lobby.

That was when he spotted him across the street. He was wearing his now characteristic black suit and was with his ever present bodyguard they were entering a high priced car before driving off.

David had turned his attention to the window and saw Jaqueris coming towards the door; he was surprised when the boy suddenly started to run in the opposite direction.

"Shit! Stay here you guys I have to go get something." He said before running out of the entrance

He came out of the door to find Jaqueris making a mad dash westward, David knew if he continued to run at this speed he wouldn't have a hope of catching Jaqueris who was in far better shape than himself. Luckily he began to come to a light jog before completely stopping at an intersection traffic light. He was looking ahead and didn't seem to notice David approach.

"Man…, what is up with you? He said catching his breath

Jaqueris didn't answer as he was watching the black car intently, they hadn't seen him chasing them, and so they wouldn't be trying to lose him. They made a right turn when the appropriate light changed.

"Fuck!" he cursed as he saw that there were many cars between him and the street Joseph had been driving on, he essentially had no way to reach him unless he sprouted wings and started flying.

"Jaqueris, what are you doing?" yelled David

Jaqueris wasn't quite sure what he was talking about as he was only standing. It wasn't until he looked down as saw that he was rising off of the ground that he knew the reason for his outburst. He began rising higher and higher if he continued at this pace he would be at the top of the traffic light.

Seeing that he wasn't going to stop anytime soon David grabbed a hold of Jaqueris' ankle. Instantly he felt the sensation of weightlessness envelope his entire body. The two were now the object of many eyes and pointing fingers as they continued to rise until they were at least 2 feet above the traffic light.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" called David

"We're about to find out." Said Jaqueris

Jaqueris tried to direct a conscious influence over his range of motion to go forward instead of just floating aimlessly. Soon he found himself and David propelled forward at a brisk pace. The feeling of flying weightless was strange at first, in fact it was almost disorienting, but the longer he was in the air, the more accustomed he became to his new power. David didn't seem to be really enjoying this experience as he clutched Jaqueris' ankle tightly.

After a time Jaqueris eventually found the car a few hundred yards ahead of him. "Hang on, David." He suggested before adding a bit of throttle to his motion

The wind brushed through their face as they traveled, but Jaqueris noticed the air didn't seem to be offering any type of resistance to slow him down. The car made a sharp left while Jaqueris was still catching up to them.

Deciding that continuing forward would take up too much time he took a detour through an alley that would hopefully lead back to the vehicle. The sun reflected brightly off of the building windows causing it to shine brightly in his eyes as he made his way through. He weaved in and out in various maneuvers at an attempt to avoid David hitting any unforeseen structures.

"Could you stop showing off and…" he was cut off when he noticed they were approaching a building which if they continued at this altitude the roof would hit David at his waist. "Pull-up!" he yelled

"What?" said Jaqueris apparently unaware of the coming danger

"Pull-up!" he yelled louder this time

Jaqueris looked ahead as he finally registered the edifice posing a threat to his friend. He swiftly took action and pulled himself higher. Unfortunately he did this too late as while he avoided David being bifurcated by the building he hadn't raised enough in elevation as he heard David's feet skidding on the gravel of the roof.

"Aaaaa!" he screamed as he began to move his legs in a running motion to ease his motion across the window. He didn't have to do this for long as he eventually flew off the edge.

"Please, tell me we're almost there?" said David hopefully

"We're almost…" Jaqueris stopped flying and just hovered as he took in the sight that made him forget about chasing Capelli. Finding his position of dangling in the air quite uncomfortable especially since his arms had become extremely tired by now he said, "What are you gawking at?"

Jaqueris didn't answer as he flew forward slowly before coming to rest on a roof. David sat down to rest as his friend just stood staring vacantly ahead.

"My house." He said at last

David looked in the general direction of Jaqueris to find just an empty lot. "Jaqueris, there's nothing…" he stopped once he connected the proverbial dots together

Jaqueris sat down wearily beside David. They sat for who knows how long saying nothing. Ultimately, Jaqueris stood up and activated his anti-gravity powers to touchdown near his house bringing David with him.

He didn't say anything at first and just stared at the new void, "He did this." He said

"Who?" David asked curiously

"The man I was chasing, Joseph Capelli, he is responsible for this." He uttered

David didn't respond he wasn't even sure what he could say. He knew his friend had many complex emotions attached to this house and didn't want to bring up any of the negative ones by giving some poorly thought advice.

Light footsteps drug the two boys away from the depressing scene. A portly dark-skinned lady was walking towards them holding a medium-sized box.

"Jaqueris, it's so nice to see you." She said as she hugged the boy

"Mrs. Crosby, it's nice to see you." He said as he returned the embrace

She then looked mournfully at the place where Jaqueris' house once stood. "I see you found what happened. I didn't quite understand why Mr. Capelli would do such as thing. It doesn't seem like this building was really in the way of "expansive development"."

"Is that what he said?" asked Jaqueris

She nodded at his question, "But enough of that, how are you doing? Where are you going to school now?"

"Xavier's in Westchester County. This is one of my classmates, David Alleyne."

David noticed that he avoided the question of how he was doing, but took Mrs. Crosby's hand as she extended it.

"Well, that's good. But I wanted to give you this. I've been coming by here every day in the hopes that I would find you here one day." She said handing him the wooden box

Jaqueris opened the box to reveal two black gloves sitting neatly inside, they were same ones that he had used the night he and Keenan were breaking and entering.

"My husband always kept them, even when I told him to throw them out."

Jaqueris lifted the gloves and found a small note tucked underneath the gloves. He opened to see it read "To Second Chances, Don't Disappoint Me."

"He wanted me to give this to you if anything ever happened to him. God I miss him."

Jaqueris felt a pang of guilt race through his heart as he remembered the role he played in his coach's death. He placed the contents of the box in their proper place before saying "Thank you" to Mrs. Crosby before she made her leave.

He made one last turn to his former home, before growing tired of this nostalgia. Eventually, David decided it would be best to return to the hotel to receive their prolific chewing out from Ms. Moonstar. Jaqueris silently agreed as he flew them back to the hotel.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that weird stomach lurching feeling." Said David as they landed

Jaqueris snickered to himself as they entered the hotel. In the lobby they found no one there save for the receptionist. "Well, I guess Ms. Moonstar did leave us. Man, she's gonna give us hell when we catch up."

For some reason Jaqueris had been quiet since entering the hotel, but David dismissed it. Little did he know was this was due to fact that he had a foreboding feeling come over him.

David walked over to the receptionist's desk, "Ma'am, excuse me but can you give me the room number to the three kids that were here earlier?"

She gave him a cheerful smile, "I'm sorry, but those three went into the parking garage area awhile ago."

David looked at Jaqueris who returned it with a suspicious look of his own. He returned by his friend's side, "You think something's wrong?" he asked

"Why else would they go into the lower levels and not come back "for a while"?" answered Jaqueris

David walked ahead of him as he made his way towards the garage. The found the door quickly enough and ran down the stairs the sound of a struggle reverberating through the air. Jaqueris stopped at the middle of the stairs as a thought popped into his head.

If they were being attacked it would almost certainly be by human supremacists and they would most likely be armed. He had managed to hold his own against the Danger Room's challenges before, but he wasn't so sure he would be able to do the same against a real loaded gun. David could gain access to the knowledge of people around him but not their powers.

He wasn't aware of the abilities Kevin possessed or Laurie's and he didn't think Sophia's wind manipulation could stop bullets. He reached into his pocket to pull out the unmistakable black and red canister with the X in the middle. His mind flashed back to the words Quentin Quire had told him.

"_It gives you control and a boost in your powers." _The memory reminded him

He would definitely need those two things if he continued down those stairs. He took the bottle and inserted the opening into his mouth. Jaqueris then squeezed the top of the bottle which released a gas into his mouth which he then inhaled.

A euphoric feeling ran rampant through his body in almost an instant. His head felt light and floating for a minute before he shook it off. His looked at his hands as a warm sensation filled his body.

He was ready as he rejoined David at the bottom of the stairs. He tried to burst through the doors but found them locked shut.

"We can't get in!" he said as the sound of fighting was at their strongest now that they were right outside of the door

Jaqueris looked at the door as he observed the subtle movements of the magnetism surround the door. "Stand back!" he alerted David

Jaqueris put out his hand and seconds later the double doors were ripped from their hinges as they were propelled forward. Jaqueris felt an extremely foreign feeling course through his veins, it was the feeling…of power.

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><p>Well, there you go, please review because with school starting back tomorrow I won't be able to update as quickly as I've been doing.<p> 


	9. Uneasy Alliances

**Author's Note: This chapter will be told in the first person perspective of three characters, Jaqueris, Josh Foley, and Kevin Ford. This is because there are some serious emotions involved in this chapter and I felt the first person view was the only proper way to express it in.**

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><p><strong>Uneasy Alliances<strong>

**Jaqueris' POV**

I was filled with pride as the door leading into the parking garage was torn from their bearings. I could only imagine the faces of the people inside as I made my entrance, but I knew I wouldn't be imagining for long as I flew inside with David.

As I levitated through the air I noticed how much easier it was, I didn't have to focus so single-mindedly on the task of staying afloat instead it almost came like a second nature. Stopping my self-admiration I observed the area carefully. Our schoolmates were surrounded by men in black body armor and clothing, wearing masks to hide their faces, with shotguns and automatic weapons all trained on me and David.

"More muties, open fire!" one of them commanded

They did just that the fact that we were teenagers never registering in their minds. I put up my hands as the shots rang through the air. The bullets miraculously stop short of their targets as a blue shield protects me and David. I realize that I am the one producing it shocking not only David but myself as well.

The goons stop once they have completely emptied their clips of ammo and look at us with fear evident in their eyes.

"_Cowards."_ I think to myself

I quickly extended my hand before jerking it back, pulling the guns from the goons hands. They look in my direction in utter shock. David runs forward and punches one in the face and I notice the strike from my Muay Thai training. He continued to pound on the guy while Sophia has her attention on one in particular.

"Where are they? Where is my father and Derek?" she asks almost in a hysterical state causing another to turn around

The man doesn't answer seemingly uncurbed by Sophia's temperament. Her focus is so great that it desensitizes her to the man that tries to attack her while her back is turned. I swiftly shoot a bolt of electricity that strikes him in the chest and throws him on the trunk of a car. David landed one more punch to the guy he was fighting to knock him down.

"_Wow! Am I really that good?" I think to myself_

I turn back to Sophia who doesn't seem to notice anything else but the man in front of her, who was bleeding with his shirt ripped open around the chest area, not even the scared and confused expressions of Kevin and Laurie.

I noticed that these gazes are directed at Sophia more than anything, "Have you ever felt wind cut you? Wind so sharp that it makes any razor seem like a butter knife?" She said before raising her hand to carry out her threat, I see the man's eyes enlarge with this gesture. I expected something very gruesome to occur, but this feeling subsided when Laurie grabbed Sophia's arm.

"Sophia, please stop! If you continue on like this you might kill them!" she said desperately

Sophia seemed to be in a battle inside her mind deciding on whether to listen to her friend's pleas or her own. Every eye was trained on her at the moment, everyone eager to see what she was going to do. She seemed to come to a decision as she raised her free hand which was followed by a potent gust of wind picking up and slamming the man into a nearby wall.

David and I close the distance between us and them.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked looking to see if they had suffered any injuries

"We're fine." Said Sophia frowning

"Yeah, I'm good." Said Kevin ignoring the fact that this is the first time I heard him speak

Laurie just nodded her head to answer looking as if she was about to cry. David took this pause to interject.

"That's good and all but we've got to get to a safer place than here." He said

Sophia looked at him with vengeful eyes, "Not before I find my family." She stated

I immediately sympathize with Sophia, I of all people should know how it feels to lose one's family, but that didn't stop me from seeing the logic in David's plan. From our current position we were sitting ducks. There were three entrances and if anyone rushed in guns ablaze chances are at least one of us would be hit.

"Listen, Sophia, there's a chance your family may be in the lower levels of this building; besides sitting here waiting to be shot won't get us anywhere. So we have to keep moving." I say to her persuasively

"But we have to move now, if there are more it's going to be that much harder to get to them." Added David

Our one-two argument won her over as she turned in the direction leading into the sublevels and said, "Let's go."

Without further motivation we all ran to where we hoped would be a more advantageous location. David and I rammed through the door to find two more gun toting enemies heading our way. Before I could do anything Sophia flew past us at great speed and slammed into one causing him to tubble backwards and not get up.

Before the other one could open fire I use my newfound abilities and send a repulsive wave of gravity at him which easily throws him off his feet into far wall to join his friend in la-la land.

"Don't worry about holding back guys, these dudes know how to take care of themselves so wail on them." He advised us

We exit through a final door to find an area similar to the one we just left. The thought of finding Sophia's family pop into my head and at that my vision changes to one of infrared.

"I see two people tied up over there in a van outside of the building." I said pointing in the direction I meant

"Dad! Derek!" Sophia calls before flying off

"You two find someplace while we go check it out. Jaqueris stay with them." Said David as I note the authoritative change in his demeanor.

David runs after Sophia while Kevin pulls Laurie behind a car, I follow and crouch beside them. Laurie was shivering as tears trailed down her face.

"She's pretty shaken up, huh?" I asked already knowing the answer

"Yeah, who wouldn't be." Answers Kevin

Kevin put his gloved hand on Laurie's wet cheek, "Laurie, it's going to be fine, alright?" he said comfortably

I observe to two for a moment, before a voice comes into my ear and I noticed it sounded like it was from a walkie-talkie.

"_We've tracked them to the lower levels, sir. We're moving in now." Said a voice_

"_Very well, eliminate them, shoot on sight." Said a sinister voice_

I instantly turn my attention to the door we came through and just when I did two more men burst through, one carrying a pistol the other another submachine gun. They both open fire immediately, as ordered, I pull up a shield big enough for all three of us. I then send a bolt at the man carrying the submachine gun, the greatest threat, he is knocked off his feet unconscious or dead I wasn't sure.

I then sent another at the last one remaining, but he seemed to be ready as he rolled out of the way. I curse myself mentally for missing, but prepare another bolt. I didn't get the chance as the man was already on bended knee and fired a shot. The bullet grazed my thigh causing me to buckle under my own weight.

"Dammit!" I yelled as I really hated being shot

I grab my injury momentarily before I turn to the man and try to send another arc his way. My hand quickly frizzled before dying down.

My heart dropped at my great luck as the man approached us with malice in his eyes. I turn to the ones behind me and I saw the utter terror in their eyes.

"Laurie, you have to use your power, it's the only way." Said Kevin

"What am I supposed to do?" she said fearfully

"I don't know…make him love you enough so he won't shoot." He offered

Laurie clenched her eyes and fists to concentrate, which was good because the sight of the man stepping closer and closer could not have been a very encouraging prospect.

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><p><strong>Josh Foley's POV<strong>

I rubbed my sour jaw as I began to wake from dreamy unconsciousness, "Damn, Mutants." I cursed

I pulled of my mask which let my hair fall into my face. I searched the area for anymore hostiles but managed to spot Duncan by the distinctive lightning mark on his facemask.

I scambled to my feet and examined my friend; he was bleeding around the chest area and was still unconscious. Now I was no doctor but those two were not good combinations. I shook him lightly and when he didn't awaken I shook him harder.

"Come on Duncan, wake up." I said my concern mounting as he remained unresponsive

I then paid attention to the wounds he'd sustained; they seemed pretty deep which would explain the amount of blood. I began to reach toward them as I thought, "_What did she do to you?"_

As my hands got closer I felt a strange sensation radiating from my palms, it wasn't too long before a yellow light began to emanate from them both. I was shocked to say the least, but something kept my hands over Duncan's chest as I continued to glow.

Finally coming to my senses I pulled away to the revelation that Duncan's wounds had completely healed. I mean there wasn't any indication at all that he been hurt; it was a miracle or something else I didn't want to consider.

Duncan woke up as I was contemplating this with a flustered look on his face.

"Duncan!" I said trying to bring him to the present

He looked at his now significantly less mutilated chest and gazed at me a new expression adorning his face…fear. "What the hell did you do to me?" he demanded to know

I was now officially freaked out and all I could muster to say was, "I…I didn't mean to. You gotta.."

Duncan rose up even more fearful than before, "You…You're one of them aren't you? You're a mutant."

"Duncan…shut the fuck up!" I ordered as I began to feel anger at his accusation

"You are aren't you? I'm gonna tell Pierce, I've gotta tell Pierce. Who you are...what you are!" he stammered

"SHUT UP!" I yelled as I lunged for him grabbing his collar tightly and pushing him towards the nearest wall.

"I'm not like them…do you hear? I'm nothing like them!" I protested hysterically so much so that I failed to realize Duncan was unconscious again.

I let his body drop limply to the floor as I stared at my hands, "I'm not like them. I'm…I'm not."

I was overwhelmed at this point and it was getting increasingly difficult to form coherent thoughts. The only one to breach this fog of hysteria was the flight response and I did just that. I made my way towards the exit, desperately wanting to escape this horrible situation.

I grabbed the handle and pull the door open, I was ready to make a break for it but stopped when I saw who was towering in front of me. "P…Pierce." I said nervously

My thoughts right away switch to Duncan who was fortunately still unconscious at the moment. Pierce surveyed the region analytically before returning to me and placing his hand on my shoulder, "What happened here, son?" he asked calmly

Quickly coming up with a lie I said, "There were more mutants than we expected. They attacked us and ran in that direction." I said pointing "I was going to get reinforcements."

Pierce smiled confidently, completely buying into my lie, "My dear boy, with me around, reinforcements are not necessary."

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><p><strong>Jaqueris' POV<strong>

I watched with unbearable anxiousness as this man walked towards us. He seemed to be moving slowly on purpose, probably savoring the look of dread on our faces to satisfy some sadistic pleasure.

"Laurie, come on, you have to hurry!" urged Kevin

Laurie was still in the same position she began in and didn't look to be making any progress, "I can't I'm too scared!" Suddenly a yellow aura illuminates from her face.

I look hopefully for this to mean her powers were now working, before that hope was replaced with a petrifying fear. Kevin seemed to affected as well by this fear wave as he was now crazily backing away from Laurie until he hit the wall. I looked to man who also wasn't spared from this new feeling of fright.

His cool persona had collapsed under one of complete helplessness. A wet spot appeared over the private area of his pants as the man began to tremble. It wasn't long before he made a mad dash in the direction towards the door.

I found that even with him gone my own feeling of trepidation had not subsided, in fact it was growing.

"Kevin, it worked he ran away." Said Laurie

She then looked at the fearful boy pinned against the wall and my own panic before moving towards Kevin, "Kevin, it's alright he's gone now."

"Stay away from me!" the boy said as he removed the gloves

I was too afraid to notice the significance of this action, but Laurie seemed to fully understand as she stopped in her tracks as Kevin walked towards her hands outstretched.

"Kevin, it's okay, it's me you don't have to be afraid." She pleaded

He continued on pace towards her, "Laurie…it's your power you have to stop it." He warned inching towards her

"But I don't know…." She stopped as she began to choke on her words, the irrational fear left me and Josh at that moment, but a new more rational one replaced it as we saw why Laurie had stopped talking.

A tall man was holding Laurie off the ground with one hand and his free one was a blade which had found its way into Laurie's back and out the other side.

"Your power has officially been stopped." He said coldly as he dropped Laurie to the ground and extracting his blade

Kevin dropped to his knees no doubt in shock from seeing his friend skewered like a pig.

"The world has one less mutant scum to worry themselves with. Now the matter only remains of what to do with you two." He boasted

He turned to Kevin in then me, then back to Kevin, "You boy, do you want to do something about this?" he said pointing towards Laurie's motionless form

I officially felt like a woman on her time of the month because I had gone from calm, to afraid, and now an emotion I was becoming more familiar with rage.

"I'm sure you do, but you can do nothing because you are going to…" he was stopped from spitting no doubt a derogatory threat by the beams of ultraviolent light that shot from my eyes.

Unlike most people he wasn't sent flying, but stood as the white rays bombarded him. He brought his arms up to defend his face, but I just cranked up the intensity. His screams pierced through the air as my attack melted his flesh away.

I finally stopped as I attempted to catch my breath. While panting heavily I noticed that boy with the Ozzy Osbourne haircut.

"_Foley."_ I thought with hatred as I glared venom at him

Deciding he was the least of my worries I turned back to the man who I expected to be on the ground burnt to a crisp. I was proven wrong as the man was still standing with melted flesh and smoke rising from his burns. At a closer inspection I realize how a man could survive such an assault though calling him a man might've been inaccurate.

Under his skin was metal instead of the anatomical muscle and tissue. He lowered his hands to reveal relatively minor burns compared to the beyond third degree burns on his arms and chest that had even managed to melt some of the metal.

He looked at me with what seemed to be all of the hate in the world mustered under his gaze. "You damn freak! I'm going to ensure you have the most painful death imaginable!" He threatened

He walked towards me fully intent on carrying out his threat, but then I realized I still had some energy left. I stuck out my hand to manipulate the metal encasing his supposedly still human organs.

My would be murder stopped moving as I lifted him in the air. If he looked at me with hate before he now officially despised me as I had him at my mercy. Feeling my reserves draining I clenched my hand into a fist to bring about what I hoped would be his defeat.

His entire torso caved in and bent under my power, and as soon as I had picked him up he fell to the ground face first as I lost my grip. I was once again breathing heavily from the strain.

Josh seemed to think it was safe, with the morbid Laurie, catatonic Kevin, and my exhaustion we would be ripe for any torture he wanted to subject us to.

"Pierce?" he called as he walked towards him

This was the final straw for me for some reason, bigots helping bigots while perfectly moral people suffered around boy had managed to become something else I hated in the span of 3 seconds, he'd proven himself to be an opportunist. I momentarily forgot my fatigue and stood up before rushing toward Josh and barreling into him.

I would forever remember his look of disbelief as I pushed him to the ground and began to wail on him with my tired fists. I was so enjoying this task that I didn't notice Pierce stir.

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><p><strong>Kevin Ford's POV<strong>

I watched as Jaqueris beat the face of the mutant racist. If I was in my right mind I would have joined him, but with Laurie's state I was anywhere but in my right mind.

As I looked at Jaqueris thrash the boy again and again, I gained a new respect for him. My eyes then drifted to Laurie's cold corpse and a mixture of fury and misery filled my heart. I wanted desperately to release these volatile emotions on someone…anyone. Little did I know that my wish was about to be revealed.

The man that the boy referred to as Pierce began to stir. This was jaw dropping to me as I thought that no man could survive having their chest crushed like a tin can, but he was moving. He rose to his knees and seemed to be bewildered, which was perfect for me.

Without my gloves I forgot my sadness and focused exclusively on my rage and grabbed Pierce's damned face. Straight away I felt my ability go to work, I could feel his flesh disintegrate from my touch, and his terrified screams only added to the pleasure I was getting from it. I'd never been proud of my mutation but now seeing it in action on someone who deserved it someone living I realized…it was a good power and I didn't want to stop.

"Jaqueris. Kevin. Stop right now!" cried the voice of Ms. Moonstar

Jaqueris nor I ceased in our punishment of our adversaries. I felt her hand grabbed my shoulder trying to pull me away from dulling out justice. I would have none of that. I threw her hand off of me as I said, "No, it's not going to stop until he's dead!" as I returned to my work

Danielle looked at my melting of Pierce's features and Jaqueris' throttling of Josh and did something. Something that was enough to stop what I and Jaqueris were engaging in immediately.

I continued to decay Pierce's features until his face was replaced with that of Laurie's. However it would be an insult to call that cadaver look-like Laurie, her skin had almost been completely destroyed in her facial area revealing the bone skull underneath.

I filled with despair at the sight as I pull her closer in the hopes that I was hallucinating.

"Laurie!" I said to myself as I realize the authencity of what I was seeing.

I push the unrecognizable corpse away as I back away in shock. I see that Jaqueris had a similar expression on his face as he was looking down at Josh's bruised face with mortification.

Danielle went to help up the beaten form of the young Reaver. "Are you all right?" said Ms. Moonstar

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><p><strong>Josh Foley's POV<strong>

The black mutant finally stopped punching me for some reason. I felt his weight lift off of my chest but his absence of mass didn't do anything to stop the throbbing of my aching face. I felt the wet warm trail of blood running down my upper lip as it dripped to the floor. My left eye was heavily swollen, my lip was burst, and I had several cuts and bruises on my face.

"Can you hear me, Josh? I need you to help Laurie, can you do that?" asked the Native American woman whom I'm guessing was responsible for stopping my beating.

I actually considered saying no, but one look at the girl made me say something that was opposite of what I was feeling, "I'll try."

She let me go under my own weight as I walked over to the girl. I very briefly met the eyes of the one who had damaged my face and registered the ire in his eyes. I crouched over the girl and stretched my hands hoping to replicate my earlier miracle with Duncan.

Sooner than before I felt a warm energy course through my body as a yellow light glowed from my hands. At the same time I felt the pain in my face diminish substantially as I began to heal the girl. The wound in her chest began to knit itself back together as the cuts closed; it was as if her body was in fast forward.

I held it for a few more seconds as the injury closed completely and the girl began to open her eyes. I was glad my face had all but completely healed by now because I noticed the girl was kinda cute. Her eyes darted around before locking on mine.

"Hi." She said nervously

"Hi yourself." I replied

I looked around at the others surrounding me, they were all looking at me some were filled with astonishment and others contempt. I also noticed some new faces that belong to a Vietnamese woman, a black kid, and another blond hair girl who was being escorted by a middle aged man. The woman came over to the girl and placed her hand on her shoulder like a parent.

"Laurie, are you okay?" she asked

She nodded, "I'm fine, but how?"

The woman looked at me, "He did it and he's probably expecting a "Thank you." She said sarcastically

"Listen up kid. I've come here to extend an invitation to Xavier's Institute. Now it's up to you.." she started, but I cut her off.

I point at her with a new vigor in my eyes. "This school it's one for muties isn't it?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that? Unfortunately you seem to be one." said the black mutant who had made a punching bag of my face

"I am nothing like you freaks." I said turning to walk away.

I could feel the heat from the eyes of the boy on the back of my neck as I head toward the exit. It was true I was no freak and I wasn't going to join a freak show like theirs. I walked out of the door away from them.

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><p><strong>Jaqueris' POV<strong>

I was extremely glad when he walked out of the door; there was enough tension without his racism. I had something more important on my mind at the moment namely the vision I'd seen as I was beating on Josh.

"Is everything under control Shan?" said Danielle turning to Xi'an

"Some of the Reavers got away. In fact most of them got away." She explained

Danielle nodded as she turned to Pierce who seemed to be unconscious. I wondered what she planned to do with him. In my own opinion he deserved to sit there and rot.

"We need to get Pierce to a hospital, he's suffered grievous injuries." She said to my disappointment, but her next sentence gave me a little bit of piece "We should alert the police and tell them what's happened."

David and Sophia walked over to Laurie as I followed them.

"Laurie, are you okay?" asked Sophia

"Yeah, you gave us a scare." Added David

Laurie responded to the myriad of questions as best she could while I mustered the courage to say what I needed to say.

"Laurie" she looked at me in my eyes which made it a little harder for me, "I'm sorry for letting you get hurt. I don't know how he got past me…I was careless, it won't happen again." I assured her

"It's not your fault Jaqueris, my pheromones probably blocked your perception." She said putting her hand on my shoulder

I knew she was just saying it so I wouldn't feel like total crap and I put my hand on hers to let her know her efforts were appreciated if only mildly successful.

We were all back inside the hotel lobby as Ms. Moonstar was signing us out at the front desk. I was quiet as I was mulling over my decision one more time to see how it sounded in my head. Danielle turned around and headed our way and I decided it was best to throw everything out of the window and just improvise.

"Ms. Moonstar, I have something to say." I said once she was within earshot "I've decided to stay in New York."

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><p>Finally why do these chapters always end up so long? Tell me what you guys think of the first person change, I'll decide how long to use it based on your reviews so give feedback or I won't know.<p> 


	10. Uneasy Alliances Part 2

**Uneasy Alliances Pt. 2**

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><p>I woke up to the hazy fog that the early morning brings and rubbed my eyes to try in vain to dispel sleep from my eyes. Truth be I wasn't at all a morning person I considered it the worst part of the day, the groggy lazy feeling you got as you regain consciousness was the extremely agitating. As my contempt for mornings was revisited my thoughts also returned to something my mother would often say when I complained about such matters.<p>

"You should consider yourself lucky, someone in this world didn't wake up today." She would say reminding me to count my blessings

I always inwardly scoffed at these minor lectures but now they seemed far more practical. I shook my head for the dual purpose of ridding myself of anymore sleep and clearing my mind of the sober memories that had crept inside.

I looked around the room I was currently staying in it wasn't one of many student rooms, but the guest at my aunt's house, the mother of Keenan. I had been graciously offered to stay as long as I need, well I and my guest that is. I looked at the floor at the still sleeping mass on a futon, David had decided to accompany on my "vacation" after some convincing by me.

The memory was still fresh in my mind having occurred only one day ago.

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><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

"I've decided to stay." I informed Ms. Moonstar

I expected her expression to be one of surprise or at least irritation at my show of bravado, but she remained as calm as ever.

"Why?" she asked simply

"Back there during our little skirmish, I…realized something." I looked around to see my teammates anxiously awaiting my explanation, "I'm angry and I know the reason why."

She raised her eyebrow, "We have people at the school that can help you with that." She said

I shook my head in argument, "No, no telepathy, I want to solve this the old fashioned way."

The Native American looked to her compatriot and the two seemed to share a silent conversation of which I had no way of following. She then turned back to me, "The Xavier Institute has always been about choice and that isn't going to change now, but I'm curious what exactly do you plan on doing?"

I had known what I was going to say, but when the time came I felt my true intentions would've been unacceptable. "I'm going to find the man who killed my family." I answered stoically

Danielle processed this for a moment and I hoped she would not decipher my hidden meaning with her concentration. Eventually, she seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted.

"Okay then, I give you permission to stay, take as much time as you need. Our doors are always open for you." She said

"Thank you…oh and David is coming with me too." I said grabbing the boy by his arm with a smile

"Wha…" he said looking me in the eyes. I gave a pleading look which I hoped would dampen his protests.

"Fine." He said as I let him go

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><p><strong>Flashback End<strong>

David's shoulders raised and fell in a rhymtic pattern, it was still early in the morning so I saw no reason to wake him besides I was due for some alone time. I got out of the bed and went to borrow some of Keenan's shorts; he had plenty he wouldn't mind.

As I headed towards the door downstairs I spotted a bulge in my pants pocket. It was no mystery to me what was causing this bulge. I reached inside and pulled out the red and charcoal canister that once contained Kick. The recollection or rather the feeling of power I had when I used the substance was still brand new in my mind. I felt unstoppable and that my strength would never go away, until I was shot which sent me crashing back to the real world.

I subconsciously rubbed the area where I'd been hit; the wound had now completely healed just like the first time I had been shot in the shoulder.

David's groan and shuffling brought my eyes back to him as I returned to the present. I closed my hand over the bottle and directed microwaves of intense heat to my palm. Soon the container melted away into an unrecognizable puddle of jet black soup. It quickly hardened allowing me to drop the remains into a nearby garbage can.

I then walked out the door silently to take my morning jog around the block.

Outside I started to run in a random direction which I was should would soon become familiar. Not too long into my exercise I attained a comfortable pace and began to let my thoughts drift to the reason I decided to stay here.

The man who had killed my family was in New York, more specifically the Bronx area and I was going to bring him to justice. The only problem was I had no idea how I was going to actually accomplish this, at first I thought of contacting Spider-man but ran into the same problem presented by my initial goal. I began to run faster as I grew a little more frustrated from my own lack of foresight.

I ran for at least another mile, before something out of the corner of my eye distracted me. I stopped moving and continued jogging in place as I turned to inspect. Two shady characters were in an alley and exhibited defensive body language as if they were hiding something. One then brought his hand to his mouth and inhaled sharply.

"Man, that's good." I heard him say before giving what was in his hand to his friend

This other man did the same motion as is buddy and let out a relaxed sigh as he brought down his hand. Staring now I realized what was happening as I crossed the street.

The men sensed my presence when I stepped on the same pavement as them and turned to me with suspicious eyes.

"What you want man?" said the one with a hood

"Yeah, we ain't got no beef with you kid." Added the other who also had on a hood with his lower face covered

I monitored the two, the one on the right was of moderate build and stood taller than his friend, but his friend had a more dominant aura about him and I figured he was the leader of the two. Directing my gaze to the one with the mask I said, "No, you don't have anything against me, but you have something I'm interested in."

The man narrowed his eyes before grabbing me by the collar of my shirt revealing a scaly green hand ending in claws. "Listen, boy, I don't know what you mean, but you should get out of here, before bad things happen. Ya dig?"

Being this close to his face I noticed his eyes were yellow and slit like a reptile's. This man was obviously a mutant and that probably went the same for his relatively normal looking friend.

"Listen, I just want to know where you got that bottle." I said

The man took his free hand and lowered his covering to reveal a green face with a row of sharp teeth and no nose save for two lines where it would've been. He brought his face closer to me to speak, "What bottle? There ain't a bottle over here, what are you a cop or something?"

He said the last part looking at his friend who produced a pocket knife, "Cause we don't like cops." He said

I recognized that I may have gotten myself into a bit of trouble on my first day back home, but I wasn't going to panic, I knew how to handle these types. They were bullies and with every bully they would back down once they encountered a bigger, badder, and more dangerous threat.

"Look, I'm no cop but I am a…" I stopped as I blew the two back further into the alleyway. Before they could recover from off the ground I directed my gravitational energies downward to flatten them against the pavement.

"Aaaaah…man, what the fuck are you doing?" asked the lizard man as he scratched at the ground leaving claw marks

"I just want to know about the bottle. What can you tell me?" I asked politely

"Fuck you!" said the other mutant

I took his insult at face value and increased the pressure I placed on the two. They yelled audibly as it bore down on them. I had to be careful I didn't want to break any bones or anything I just needed information.

"Shut up, you damn fool. This cat means business." Said the leader

He looked up at me as best he could from his position, "Alright, what do you wanna to know? Cool cat?"

I released the weight off their backs and allowed them to rise to their feet. The reptilian man briefly dust himself off as he began to speak, "This stuff is Kick a'ight. It comes from the Metropolian, the hot new club downtown."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and leaned back a little showing that I didn't believe him, "Never heard of it."

"Well, you mustta been unda a rock for a split second, kid. Guy by the name of Joseph Capelli runs the joint. People say he opened it to get the vote of the people 'round the Bronx, but every slickback and night lifer knows he uses it to smuggle out drugs. For human an' mutant." He elaborated

I nodded my head as his story now seemed legitimate, "Alright, thank you for your time gentlemen, but what's your name, I may need you again?"

"I ain't too keen on lettin' just anybody in on my info, kid." He informed standing tall

However a threatening look from me and a well placed shock aimed at his feet changed his mind.

"Aight, aight. The name's Dice this here is nobody." He said pointing his thumb at his friend "We were once hired muscle for The Cap." He said

I quirked my eyebrow at the name showing I didn't understand. The man shook his head at my gesture, "That's the street name of Joseph Capelli. Jesus, kid, you ain't too street smart are ya?"

"I'm a fast learner." I countered as I walked away but before completely leaving the alley I turned back to him, "Stay in the area, I don't want to travel far to look for you."

I returned to Keenan's house to the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes being cooked by my aunt.

"What's up cuzo?" greeted Keenan

David instead sent a nod my way on account of his mouth being stuffed with cake at the moment. I felt a wave of wistfulness flow over me as I was reminded of the family dinners my mother, brother, and I would have in mornings not to different than this one.

"Jaqueris come sit down. It's Keenan's first day out of the hospital with you here, so we're going to enjoy this." Said my aunt

"Yes, Auntie King." I said taking a seat beside Keenan

She brings a plate for me to indulge in complete with the entire American breakfast classic. I was about to dive in before she halted me, "Wait, young man can you stop eating for just a moment," she said talking to David. He swallowed hard before uttering "Sorry".

"Good, now hold hands, we're about to pray." She instructed

I inwardly rolled my eyes at this development, I never liked the feast prayer, it was so unnecessary to me, but I complied and took David and Keenan's hand into my own.

"Lord, thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon us in our lives. Thank you for delivering my son back to me safe and sound" I cringed at this statement "and for protecting Jaqueris during the disaster last month. Oh and we also thank you for delivering a new guest to our table for breakfast this fine morning. Amen." She said

"Amen." The three of us repeated

We all then began to eat our delicious smelling food like a makeshift family of some short. It wasn't long before casual conversation started up again.

"So, man, what's that school you go to like? You know having a mutant as a headmaster must be a little different, huh?" Keenan asked

I glanced at David out of the corner of my eye at this question, "Professor X, he's cool, a smart man kinda reminds me of MLK, but you know…bald and white." I joked

I earned chuckles from those sitting at the table from this, "But seriously it's a great school and I don't have to worry about my…gift." I said gift with hesitation as I wasn't completely sure my mutation could be classified as such

Keenan put on an excited look at the mention of my powers, "Oh that reminds me, you never actually showed me what you can do? Why not give me a little demo to spice up this mediocre breakfast?" he said earning a light slap on the back of the head from his mother

I smirked at this before trying to act in accordance with Keenan's request. I spotted my aunt's coffee mug sitting at the table and pointed my hand at it. I sent a streak of microwaves at the coffee and after a few seconds the contents began to boil and bubble noticeably.

"Ok, cool, what else can you do?" he asked

I then pointed at the currently silent microwave. It immediately cut on and began to move as if something had been placed inside. Not stopping there I also flickered the light on and off as my aunt looked at the light switch which was in the off position. I then placed my hand on the table and eyed my orange juice which was by Keenan.

I attracted it to my hand using my gravitational power causing it to slide across the table into my hand. I looked at Keenan who had a wide grin on his face, but was apparently at a loss for words, "That's not even half of what I can do." I bragged

"Man, that's sick. You two are the luckiest S.O.B's on the planet." He raved before looking a David. His mother gave him a stern look when he alluded to a swear causing Keenan to clamp his mouth shut comically.

He turned to David now, "So, what's your talent man? Lasers come out of your eyes, claws from your knuckles; maybe you can walk through walls or somethin I don't know."

David and I looked at one another at the non deliberate accuracy of Keenan's guesses pertaining to some of our teachers. David finished his meal and wiped his mouth clean with a napkin, "I think it's best if I show you. You got a basketball?"

* * *

><p>Moments later the three of us were at the park dressed in athletic attire. We were distinguished by our individual short colors; I was in red, David blue, and Keenan yellow.<p>

"Well, don't we all look colorful? Hey I just realized something why is it that white people once called us blacks colored if we stayed black throughout our entire lives, but they were the ones that changed colors?" said Keenan

"I don't understand." Said David and I tilted my head to show I was also confused

"You know, when they're born they're pink, When they grow up they're white, When they're sick, they're green, When they go in the sun they turn red, When they're cold they turn blue, And when they die they turn purple. I mean come on and you call me colored?" he explained

I listened to his logic and soon began to snicker from the truth in it and David did the same. I really did miss my cousin's unique sense of humor, it brought a refreshing change to my normally serious demeanor.

"Well, what did you want to show me?" asked Keenan referring to David

David dribbled the basketball between his legs, "Well, I figured it'd be easier to show you my mutation than tell you. I can acquire the knowledge of those around me." He said as he did some dazzling tricks with the ball that I would find difficult

Keenan looked at me with a surprised look before saying, "Alright, let's play 21, every man for himself. Only call is a foul, but you have to speak up for yourself."

We all nodded and began to play. Throughout the game I was grateful that it was the early morning and the three of us were the only ones out because to see a former All-American and college bound basketball player be dismantled by an unknown would have been embarrassing. David systematically destroyed any defense we tried to play against him, it didn't even matter if we double teamed him he'd still find his way to the bucket.

After having our proverbial butts handed to us again and again we decided to take a break against a fence. We were all sweating and trying to catch our breath.

"Okay, no one is to ever and I mean **ever** talk about this to anyone else outside of the three of us." Said Keenan

"Agreed." I said

We both then looked at David to ensure he complied with this truce, "What? It doesn't count by the time I get a certain distance away from you two I'll be as sorry as ever. But until then I'm officially the best in the country." He said laughing

Both I and Keenan joined in until our laughter echoed off the walls of the surrounding buildings. We then sat in silence allowing me to think on my course of action concerning Capelli. I would need help in taking on someone like him but I wasn't so sure on involving Keenan, with David at least I knew he could defend himself.

"Listen guys, I have a confession to make." I said aloud

They both looked at me in anticipation, "David you remember when I said I was staying here to find the man who killed my parents?"

David nodded yes, "Wait, you know who did it?" said Keenan in disbelief

"Yeah, I do. But I lied when I said I was going to bring him to justice. I mean I am but not the metal bar kind of justice." I revealed

Keenan stayed silent with a receptive look on his face, but David seemed opposed to the idea. "So why'd you bring me along? I'm sorry but killing isn't something I'm sure I'm okay with." He informed me

I expected him to react this way after all from what I could tell David had never been forced to consider ending another person's life. He had never been so angry that he would give anything to find the person that wronged him and literally rip his throat out, but that was exactly why he was needed.

"I know you're not and that's why I asked you to come with me. Look when the time comes and I'm face to face with Capelli I want someone there whose going to be sure I don't go too far and do something I might regret later." I clarified

We all stayed soundless each waiting for the other to say anything. "Well, you know I'm in. We've been together since we were little kids laughing at each other's wee-wee's."

"I remember the wee-wee laughing." I added

David stood up at this moment, "I don't know about any of that, but you can count me in."

"Is this the part where we all put our hands in the middle and raise 'em real high in a show of brotherhood and camaraderie?" joked Keenan

David and I exchanged glances with us both probably thinking the same thing, "No." we said in unison

"Good, there's a fine line between perfectly manly partnerships and borderline queers." He added

"I hope you have a plan to go along with this escapade of yours." Chimed in David

I smiled knowingly at his question.

* * *

><p>The night sky was featureless due to the blazing lights of New York City. This was one of the few things he disliked about the huge metropolis; you could never sit back and enjoy a star lit night. This would be difficult anyway because he was currently riding in his custom limousine.<p>

"And your popular vote in the Bronx borough is at its normal apex, but Manhattan seems to have dipped slightly." Said a man wearing cross bifocals

Joseph listened with a bored expression he really abhorred the technical talk of these political types. The man was his adviser for his campaign and was just doing his job by telling him the direction his platform was headed in, but that didn't make it interesting.

"Toro, what's the word from Barry about this week's income?" Joseph asked the shaded man

The man in glasses seemed offended at being ignored but he knew better than to speak up about it lest he be reminded of his place. The rather large man reached into his coat pocket to pull out a pamphlet.

He opened it and said, "It's at its normal rate, as of now, and should continue that way once we pick up the take tonight from him. But boss if I can say, we can't trust Barry I think we need to find a new employee."

Joseph considered this for a moment; Toro was his trusted bodyguard and good friend so when he said something Joseph listened. Barry was your typical run of the mill peddler, he would squeal if squeezed hard enough, but he didn't due the fact that he knew the consequences for snitching would be dire.

"Excuse me, Mr. Capelli, but you didn't seem to hear me. Your standing in Manhattan is being threatened you should take action to ensure nothing upset your superior position in this race." Urged the aide

The car stopped and the faint sound of booming music could be heard just outside the window. They had arrived at his club.

"I heard you very clearly, Derek, and I intend to rectify that issue very soon, but at the moment I have more pressing matters to attend to. You understand?" he said as the door opened for him

Stepping out he was greeted to the vibrant scene of the young generation of the Bronx. The blue neon sign to his club shined brightly at the entrance as people lined up to get inside. Once he was spotted the people began to clap and cheer at the owner.

He inwardly smiled at their applause but retained an outwardly calm demeanor. He raised his hand as Toro came beside him to escort him to the entrance. He could feel their eyes follow him from his car to the double doors, the bouncer opened if for him as he approached. As these subtle events occurred he remembered why he did what he, why he was running for mayor and why he had become one of New York's strongest gangsters, it was simply the fact that he got respect.

Respect was one the single most important thing to have if you wanted to be anything at all in this world, it had been since man was created and it wasn't going to change anytime soon. So he did what any sensible man would he grabbed his respect and held on to with a vice grip.

Thinking this he suddenly got a paranoid feeling as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He stopped at the door and looked towards the skyscrapers and stared at nothing in particular for a while.

"Boss, you okay?" asked Toro

"Yeah…fine." He said before walking inside, it must've been his imagination

* * *

><p>I looked down, from atop a rooftop, at the man as he entered the club my eyes narrowing upon spotting him. I was in a sleek black trench coat with matching undershirt, pants, and boots. Keenan said I looked like Terminator Lite, but I ignored him.<p>

They both dressed in clothing that said they were going to a party, but I came for business and I was not going to be distracted.

"Jaqueris, I'm telling you man, you should at least lose the coat. If you go in there and this guy sees you in assassination wardrobe he's gonna haul ass while we get shot." Said Keenan

I looked at him with a serious expression; I wasn't really in the mood for jokes at the moment. "He's right Jaqueris, we need to blend in." said David

Sighing I dropped the coat on the roof.

"All right, now how are we supposed to get inside? I might be mistaken but I think you have to be 18 or older and they're checking for ID's." said David

This was my time to speak, "When you're trying to break inside someplace you never go through the front door."

Keenan smirked at hearing this no doubt I had stirred up memories of our crusade that almost landed me in jail, "Yeah, we learned that the hard way."

I levitated us from the roof being extra careful not to drop one of them as I'd never lifted three people at one time before and it was proving to be a hassle. Finally we landed at the back entrance into the club. David went to open the door only to discover it was locked.

"I could pick it, but I threw away my set years ago." Said Keenan

I walked towards the door and kneeled by the keyhole. Holding up my right hand I placed it on the doorknob and began to transfer heat towards it. Seconds later the door knob melted away allowing me to push the door open.

We stepped inside to the booming music of the place. I saw drinking, suggestive dancing, flashing lights, and more drinking which only helped to confirm that this was New York night life.

"Wuuuuuuuu! Now this is my kind of place." Said Keenan as he began to dance though I could barely hear him over the ambient noise.

"Remember, what we're here for. A guy named Barry runs shipments out for Capelli, we find him we've got our link." I yelled at him which I wasn't sure he heard

"Alright, man I'll keep a lookout." He said before disappearing into the ground dancing

I shook my head at my cousin's behavior, "Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." I said to David who nodded and followed Keenan

I was now standing by myself trying not to look too out of place which was difficult considering I was. My uncomfortable feeling was suspended when I spotted Capelli and Toro walk across the room. I held myself in check as the anger in me began to rise exponentially.

They stopped in what I knew as the VIP section and talked to a man in a gaudy white suit wearing purple-tinted shades. The man smiled and shook Capelli's hand vigorously with both hands; I noticed that neither the gangster nor his assistant showed him the same courtesy.

"_Lackey."_ I thought

Soon Capelli made a head motion towards the upper levels of the club that overlooked the ground floor and walked away. I waited for him to extend the stairs before I made my move. This would have to be fast but effective; I didn't want to draw security to my position even though I probably could take them the two guards protecting the man would be enough trouble.

Before I got close enough for the man to see my face, I used my powers to bend all light away from my face, a trick I learned from Dr. McCoy's class, which would make me unrecognizable by anyone that wasn't superhuman.

As I approached I saw the man had two girls in his arms and was kissing one sloppily at the moment. There were various alcohol bottles and glasses spread around the table. Once I was two feet away from the section one of the men stopped me by placing a firm hand on my chest.

"Sorry, boys." I said putting my hands on their chests and sending a surge through their bodies.

They fall down unconscious immediately; the man stops his activities to find his hired help out cold. I sit down with a smile as I wait for his response.

"Get out of here." He says shooing the girls away

He leans up and looks at me, a strange look comes across his face more than likely due to fact that he can't actually see my face.

"Is that some weird mask or have I had too much to drink?" he asks pouring himself a cup

"Barry?" he stiffens at the sound of his own name "I need your assistance."

He takes a gulp from his glass turns his knees towards the crowd, he's really mistrustful now. "Look, man, I'm just trying to have a good time, if you need a fix. I've got a man who handles that."

I shift my jaw from side to side, I never expected this to be easy, and "I want your help though." I lean in close to whisper in his ear "It's about Joseph Capelli."

He stiffens up even more at this and fixes his shirt collar even though there was nothing wrong with it. This showed he was getting more and more nervous.

"Listen, I don't know what you're talkin' about." When he says this a weird tingling feeling vibrates in my head, "Joseph is a good man and he doesn't deal with scum like me, at least not in the way you're thinkin'." Again I get that tingling sensation in my head

"I noticed you said, "Joseph" and not Mr. Capelli. You two work that closely that you're on a first name basis?" I said

He hawks down the remainder of his drink and places it roughly on the table before going to pour more, "What is it you want exactly?"

I place my hand on his shoulder, "I want a fix and you're the only man that can give it to me."

After our little conversation Barry and I made our way to the alley way outside. He had called someone to drive his car around that area before we left. We don't wait a few seconds before silver Mercedes pulls up. A stoutly man jumps out the car and throws the keys to his boss.

"Here you go Barry. I was real careful not the scratch it up even a little." He said

"Thanks, Tony." Barry answered

The man then walks away to the entrance of the club as Barry fiddles through his keys, to open the trunk. When he finally gets the right one he places it inside the key hole.

"How old are you? Even with that weird ass mask, you don't look to be the type that shoots up." He said looking back at me

"I don't shoot up." I say tersely

He seems to understand what I mean as he goes inside his trunk and receive a black and red canister. "Here you go. That'll be 25 bucks."

I take the Kick and stare at it before placing it in my pocket, "Thanks."

I then extend my hand and send a wave of force at Barry that sends him slamming into the wall. He instantly begins to struggle to free himself.

"This is why I never do deals with junkies personally." He says to himself

I find the term offensive, though I don't know exactly why, nonetheless I increase the pressure mainly focusing on his head.

"You're a real help, Barry. Capelli's lucky, but I need some more of your help." I said

Just then the door leading out swings open hitting Barry in the nose. Keenan and David rush out and are dumfounded by the scene before them.

"Aaaah….what do you want man?" Barry says through a pained expression

"You don't have to give me anything to dirty yet, but just tell me where Capelli makes his drugs?" I answer

"Man, uh…he gets his shipments from the Russians, yeah that's it." That characteristic tingling pulsates in my head again and only now do I understand the meaning of it.

"Don't lie to me." I said charging up a bolt in my free hand

I release the pent up energy causing it to destroy a nearby trashcan. Barry screams at the display and I can tell he's going to far more cooperative.

* * *

><p>Okay I know that is a horrible way to end the chapter, but come on give me some credit. Wolfdude I hope you don't mind you borrowing your joke for this chapter it just seemed appropriate. So guys please review or else I don't know what I need to work on.<p> 


	11. Uneasy Alliances Part 3

**Uneasy Alliances Pt. 3**

* * *

><p><strong>1 Month Earlier<strong>

It was dark, very dark in fact, but to him that wasn't a problem in the least. He adored darkness hid the basic impurities of the world like a sympathetic veil, the ultimate smokescreen. It was also in the dark where he felt at home, in the dark he was the predator and everyone else his prey, he was effectively God.

The only issue he had at the moment was the red light in the center of the room that ruined the entire experience. It was like having the whitest shirt and then spilling this one tiny drop of ketchup on it, even if the drop was miniscule you knew it was there and it would annoy you to no end until you were sure it was removed.

"Step into the light." Ordered a voice from over an intercom

He couldn't see who was talking but he knew the voice of his handler and he obeys with a scowl on his face as he knows what is about to occur. In the light he crosses his arms and stands rigid at least that is what it appears like to the scientist watching from above. The boy is black at about 16 years old, he is well muscled but lean and is obviously agitated. He had no shirt on and the only clothing was a pair of spandex shorts. He begins to tap his fingers against his arm impatiently he hated the waiting part; it was always the most boring part of any job or training session.

"Begin!" cried the voice

Immediately red dot sights are aligned on the boy aiming at vital areas that would drop him in one shot if they hit. Uncrossing his arms he leaps into the air as the sound of gunfire rings through the air. He recognizes the guns from the characteristic resonance they discharge when fired.

"_Spas-12 and MPK5's. This is going to be boring." He noted to himself_

He landed not too far from his first victim, the man was equipped with night vision so he could see him easily, but that wasn't really an advantage just like this darkness wasn't really a handicap. The boy produced two throwing stars which he threw into the man's ankles. He screams in pain as he buckles over.

The boy was already upon him before his hands hit the ground; he sends an uppercut that is all the more devastating given the fact that the man was heading down when the punch came. The man lurches back from being hit but stays on his feet, due to his training in pain tolerance, however the boy now had the shotgun in his hands and aimed it at the man.

He froze on realizing he was at gunpoint, the boy fires the weapon sending the man through the air as the pellets hit him in the chest. He notices that there is no blood from the shotgun blast to show a definite kill.

"_Beanbag rounds." _He thought disappointingly

They were treating him like a novice as if he couldn't handle the gore that real bullets would cause. He is interrupted from his thoughts by rapid fire delivered at his flank. He rolls beside the man he just defeated and when he comes back up he has a cylindrical grenade in his hands.

As the gun fire continues he tosses it in the direction where it is coming from and covers his eyes. Roughly two seconds later a bright flash explodes from the grenade very briefly illuminating the room revealing 5 armed men wearing night vision goggles. Due to their gear they were all now effectively blind meaning they were easy pickings.

He ran forward and chopped the closest man in the neck, then delivered a crushing knee to the soft tissue between his abdomen and chest plate. For the finale he placed his thumb in the man's trachea then squeezed hard.

He could feel the structure collapse under his touch as the man began to desperately claw at the ground struggling to breath. He was going to move on to the next one until the lights came to life expelling the placating darkness.

There were now four men carrying shotguns and submachine guns, just as he had expected. Even though they were wearing night vision he could feel the glares directed at him for taking out their comrade. He smirked and raised his hand to make the "Bring it" motion while smiling. Each squeezed the handle of their weapons in exasperation at his signal.

"That is enough, operatives." Admonished the voice from the intercom

People in lab coats quickly rushed inside, he recognized them as the medics, and they placed the debilitated man on a stretcher and carried his pathetic form out of the door.

"Null, you were ordered not to use lethal force, the courtesy was given to you, the least you could do is return it." Said the intercom

The boy crossed him arms in defiance, "Maybe, that's the problem, no lethal force where's the fun in that? I'm a walking armory, lethal force is kinda my niche." He argued

He held out his hand before purple energy swirled in his hand. When it dissipated a sleek black 9mm was in his hand. He looked up at the room holding the onlookers and smiled devilishly.

The man who was speaking on the intercom had brown hair and wore the stereotypical glasses of a scientist. He sat back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked at his colleague a young woman with purple hair.

"The conditioning process managed to remove his qualms about killing and any other humane limitations, but they couldn't take out the ego." He said flatly

The woman laughed at this before turning back to the boy below who was twirling the gun on his fingers.

"But still you have to admit, attitude aside his mutation is infinitely useful in the work he will be doing." She said

The man leaned forward and hunched over a little with a solemn look now on his face. She had worked with him long enough to realize when something was bothering him and if that wasn't an indicator then…

"He's scheduled to be placed inside The World today." He said dejectedly

The room was silent as the two already knew what this entailed. Even though they never were supposed to, they had both established something of a bond with the young boy and even though he didn't show it, they hoped he felt the same way. The disclosure that he would be placed inside the world caused a pit to form in the woman's stomach.

The man placed his finger on the button allowing him to speak through the intercom, "Alright, we're done for today. Everyone return to your barracks." He ordered

Back inside his room Null stood at the closed doorway. The room was very plain in his opinion there was a bed and a nightstand and..that was it. No posters or radios or something like that, not that he would even be allowed to have such things. Not that he even wanted such things either; to him they were just a distraction from the workouts he did inside his room. Oh yeah his room was also small.

However there was one thing that stood out, a picture nailed to the wall facing the door. It was charred and the only thing that could be made out was the picture of an African American boy of about 17, he was smiling and seemed to have his hand on someone's head. Looking at the picture he didn't understand why he even had it his room, he hated it.

Not so much the actual picture, but the person inside of it. He absolutely loathed the boy, and the strangest thing was he'd never met him before. It's just that whenever he looked at it he began to get angry and wanted to hit something. A throwing knife wisped into his hand with the purple energy swirling around it.

He threw the knife across the room towards the picture which embedded itself in the wall between the boy's eyes. He only wished that the boy in the photo was still alive so that he could do it in real time.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

Jaqueris sneezed loudly.

"Gesundheit." Said Keenan Jaqueris wiped his nose, "Can you spell that?" he asked knowing full well he couldn't

Keenan took his momentary defeat in silence and continued watching the television. David was sitting in an armchair while Keenan was seated on the floor and Jaqueris was stationed on the couch. They had been watching the news for about 30 minutes now and had yet to find any reports on their exploits last night.

"Maybe, they missed it?" said Keenan "No way. I practically…" I began but was shushed by David as he raised the volume of the tv set. A news reporter was standing in front of a decrepit building that was producing black smoke, the bricks of the building had been badly charred, all the windows had been burst and even some of the surrounding area was destroyed.

"It seems that random gang activity occurred in the streets of New York last night, as a warehouse owned by mayoral candidate Joseph Capelli was razed last night. Police could find nothing for evidence inside the building citing that everything inside was reduced to ash."

At this Jaqueris and Keenan did a congratulatory fist bump. The next image on screen made Jaqueris clench his fists on the surface he was sitting. It was of Joseph Capelli and his trusty tool Toro.

"I'm deeply saddened by this show of vandalism, but I'd like to remind everyone that this is exactly what my platform is campaigning against. Youth with a lack of direction and guidance will resort to other, often criminal, means to find an outlet." He said

"_Damn politicians." _Jaqueris thought to himself

"Well, if that doesn't get him the sympathy vote I don't know what will." Said David as he leaned back in his chair and put his hand up to his chin in thought, "Maybe we shouldn't have destroyed every single thing inside that warehouse, I mean if we would've left a few of the drugs intact it would've been a tough situation for him to maneuver out of."

Jaqueris listened to David's reason while contemplating his own. When they arrived at the warehouse their intention was to send a message to Capelli. Apparently it was received but not the way they intended. Instead their actions were perceived as random delinquency and Capelli would not respond in the desired way to that. Jaqueris steepled as he focused on what to do, "We need to call Barry." He finally said

Keenan grabbed a cellphone from the nearby nightstand and threw it at Jaqueris who promptly caught it and dialed the number that they received from the man the previous night. It rang for a minute before it was finally answered.

"Yeah?" said the husky voice from the other side "We need to talk. I'll text you the address." I said before hanging up and doing just that

"So what's the plan?" asked Keenan

"Simple, we're gonna continue to hit Capelli's drug operation. He won't call in the police because of what they might find and we can continue to hit his establishments. Eventually he's gonna call us in for a face to face meeting and then well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Explained Jaqueris

David listened and decided it was a solid plan, but there were some holes in it which he would discuss with Jaqueris later. Their recent actions were noticed but they would probably be dismissed if they didn't do something soon to continue to aggravate the flames they've started. No pun intended.

"I have something to show you two, they might come in handy." He then went into his band and pulled out three small headsets with mics. Looking at them one would suspect them of being toy's but David wouldn't waste time by producing toys.

"These are radio headsets. We can stay in communication using Jaqueris' powers. That way we don't have to worry about anyone listening in because you can just block out any unwanted frequencies or transmissions."

He then threw the three mics into the hands of Keenan and Jaqueris. They all placed them in the appropriate positions on their ears. "Okay, try them out."David said

Jaqueris began to center his energies on sending out a radio wave. At first this made his head feel dizzy and he got that feeling one had when they stood up too fast after sitting down for a while. Eventually however everything became clear and he was able to direct the waves in a way that would allow communication.

"Can you hear me now?" Keenan said into the mic David and Jaqueris felt the vibration caused by the sound of his voice moving through the airwaves into the microphone.

David smiled at his ingenuity and Jaqueris was just happy he found another application of his powers. "Good job, David, we can test these when we meet up with Barry." Said Keenan

With that they made their way to the rendezvous point that Jaqueris had established. At about 15 minutes later Jaqueris was standing on a rooftop with his elbows on the edge of the roof. He had made sure to make his face practically invisible this time by directing a multitude of rays towards his face, so if Barry looked at him he would just see sunlight.

"He's coming up the stairs, now." Said Keenan through the mic

"He's alone." Inserted David

The two were currently at the ground floor of the building which put them at about 40 feet from Jaqueris' position. He turned to face the entrance to the roof as Barry walked through. He was wearing a leather suit with a purple undershirt with the top button undone and a garish gold chain falling over his shirt.

"Do you know what I'm risking coming here? You've got a lot of people angry at what you and your friends did." He said angrily

Jaqueris leaned on the edge of the roof and smirked at hearing his little bonfire had managed to rile Capelli, "Good, because I intend to keep doing it."

Barry slid his hand down his face as a pacifier to control his rising anger. Whoever this guy was he was meddling in forces he couldn't understand. He seemed to be intent on provoking a reaction from Capelli and when it finally happened and he was brought down he would bring Barry with him.

"Who the hell are you man! If you've got a death wish, leave me out of it!" he yelled

Jaqueris inwardly grinned at his outburst, he was scared and the fearful were easy to manipulate all you had to do was play on their fears. Jaqueris tilted his head as he began to hub in on Barry. This trick would require his utmost concentration especially since he also had to make sure he didn't drop his facial cover.

He saw the result of his labor as Barry began to walk towards the edge of the building. A look of bewilderment crossed his face as soon as he began to move, "What the hell is going on man?" He took a step on the railing and stood up with a now terrified expression as he looked down at the street below, "I can control electrical impulses Barry. So as of right now you're my own personal doll." Jaqueris explained

He made the man lift one leg but made sure he maintained his balance so he wouldn't fall, "Stop it man! What do you want account numbers, social security, come on. Just don't fucking drop me, I got a kid!" he said

Jaqueris felt that strange tingling feeling in his skull indicating a lie was being told and briefly considered dropping the man to really make him afraid then save him at the last moment, but he didn't have time for fun.

"I want to know more about Capelli's warehouses, but more this time. And no more lying this time I'm getting impatient with you." Jaqueris said releasing his control over the man's body. He felt tired from his little display, but he couldn't show it to this man so he sucked it up and stood erect.

Barry returned to a less elevated position of the roof rubbing the sweat from his brow. "Look, there are two more warehouses in this area. If you wanna cause some damage you're gonna wanna hit those two." He explained

After further elaboration of these warehouses and no tingling feeling Jaqueris was satisfied with the information he had obtained and said his goodbyes to the man. He walked through the exit while giving Barry one last look.

Barry looked at the door for a moment to be sure the crazy man was gone. He then gathered himself and faced the edge of the roof. He then went into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Dialing the number quickly he took a deep breath and wiped some more sweat from his forehead. "Boss, I did it, you can expect them there tonight." Said Barry wearily

Jospeh Capelli smiled on the other side of the line, "Excellent work Barry." He congratulated the goon

Elsewhere he sat up for what seemed like the 1000th time and actually 1000 wouldn't be a bad stretch as he had been doing ab workouts for a few hours now. Exercise was his only past time in this place he'd been imprisoned in for who knows how long. The only other solace he had from boredom was martial arts training.

Null rose up from the floor and examined his surroundings; he was currently in Cairo, Egypt. The sun was beating down on his face causing his body to generate even more sweat than what was produced by his work out. He was standing on the balcony of a hotel which he hadn't bothered to remember, it wasn't as if he could reference it to anybody here since he was all alone.

As hard as that was to digest it was the truth. He'd arrived here an undetermined amount of time ago and search frantically for any sign of life, any indication that another being was alive here and he found nothing for his efforts. For a while he thought he was in a coma and was just experiencing a prolonged dream, but this theory was dashed when he punched himself in the gut and found that he could, unfortunately, still feel pain.

Also when he tried to manipulate the environment by thinking about it there wasn't any change besides giving him a headache. He spent the first three days just exploring and began to come up with another hypothesis. The only explanation he could come up with that explained away all that was happening was that he was stuck in the Twilight Zone.

Now, mind you, he knew the inherent absurdity of this idea, but he couldn't think of anything else and he needed some reason no matter how stupid to satisfy the natural curiosity of his mind. So he held fast to this rationale for the entire time he was here, which was difficult to pinpoint after the first month.

At first he was distraught from being stuck in the "Zone", but he quickly discerned that stressing this fact would offer no benefit. Seeing as he wasn't going to be going anywhere, he did what he did best and that was train. Relentlessly he pushed himself for hours a day only stopping to find food and water. He slept a total of four hours then resumed his training.

He rummaged through his pockets to find the only thing that kept him going. He pulled out the photo of the boy he so despised. This was the only thing allowing him to keep his sanity in this colossal prison, the hope that one day he would be able to pay the boy back in full for whatever he has done to wrong him.

* * *

><p><strong>Bronx Rooftops<strong>

It was night once again and the three vigilantes were preparing themselves for the night's activities. They had met Barry earlier and had been informed of two more warehouses each about 15 miles apart. However the catch was that while one was empty and only used for storage the other would be guarded due to the actions of the three the night before.

Jaqueris was currently overlooking the building he was going to destroy; David and Keenan would be torching the one that wasn't guarded by armed thugs. He enhanced his vision by switching to infrared; he counted 8-10 men. Deciding a new perspective was needed he switched to X-ray vision, this time he saw the same number of people but was able to identify the AK-47's they were carrying, at least 5 had a handgun tucked away in their back pocket while others carried a knife.

He returned to his normal vision and contemplated how he would proceed. There was an open window on the roof he could use to enter, but with the large amount of illumination flooding the inside he'd be confronted with a hail of bullets once he did. He closed his eyes in exasperation while he decided the best strategy.

At this an idea came to him, he reached inside his pocket to pull out the Kick container. He looked at it thoughtfully and he remembered the good it did him when he used it to save his friends. The situation he was about to place himself in would require a little more firepower than he thought he was capable of.

Taking in a breath he placed the canister to his mouth and released the gas. As he inhaled it he felt the empowerment he craved and any doubts he had before were banished from his mind. He placed the bottle back in his pocket as he levitated into the air.

Deciding on his course of action he blacked out the lights inside the building. He could hear their surprise as he slipped inside the now darkened warehouse. Choosing that floating was still a risk even if they couldn't see him he turned upside down and placed his feet on the metal ceiling, sending a static charge to his feet he began to hang like a human sized bat.

With his X-ray vision he spotted three hostiles on a walkway right below him. Disengaging his static cling he floated down silently at the far end of the walkway and grabbed the rails. And sent a high voltage through the metal, the men's body's shook as if having a seizure. He ceased the charge to avoid any permanent damage to the men's organs.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to look over the railing to spot a man tinkering with the junction box. As long as he was consciously controlling the electricity in the building he doubted the man could cause the lights to come back on, but still better safe than sorry.

He placed his hand on a wall which he could see contained a wire traveling towards the junction box. Sending a charge that traveled along to wire and ended at the box caused a small electrical explosion sending the man back as he yelp in surprise. Unfortunately his noise brought the attention of two more guards, but that wasn't a problem.

"What was that?" said one

"I don't know, let's check it out." Said another

He flew over to a large crate that was overlooking the collapsed guard and his friends who were checking his friend. He repulsed the crate with minimal force to causing it to fall over the edge and crash into the two below. Their grunts signifying the mark had been hit.

Laughing to himself he floated down to the lower levels to ensure they were really unconscious. As he neared the men and confirmed so he was about to rise back into the rafters when a beeping noise distracted him.

It was coming from a crate right next to him and he could faintly make out what seemed to be radiowaves emanating from it. He opened it cautiously as the beeping grew louder.

What he found inside made him forget completely about his mission.

* * *

><p>Joseph Capelli was in his condo sitting on his white furniture. A glass chess set was placed in front of him with Toro sitting on the other side. The pieces were in various positions signifying which appeared chaotic, but the well trained eye would be able to see that Joseph had the advantage and was only one move away from a checkmate. All he had to do was move his pawn one square forward to secure his victory.<p>

His phone ringing seemed to stop his triumph however, "Yes." He answered calmly

"Boss, he's inside now." Said Barry from the other side

"Excellent, do it." He commanded before hanging up He cupped his hands then placed them under his chin, "Checkmate." He said knocking over Toro's king signifying his successful conquest

Elsewhere Barry held a detonator in his hands and was looking out of the window of his car. "Death wish granted, kid." He said before pushing the button

The warehouse was quiet for a moment before a large explosion rocked the surrounding area and obliterated the structure it was produced from.

* * *

><p>Okay, I don't know why but that was a really difficult chapter to write. Can anyone guess who the mysterious youth was he's going to be an important factor in coming chapters.<p> 


	12. Uneasy Alliances Part 4

**Uneasy Alliances Pt. 4**

* * *

><p>The wintrily wind was blowing wildly against Null as he scaled this snowcapped mountain with no equipment. He was decked out in heavy clothing that alleviated the cold and prevented frostbite, but wouldn't interfere with his free climbing. His gloved hand grabbed a rock jutting out of the peak which was just as well because as soon as he did he felt his feet and loose arm dangle as the previous supports he was holding on to gave way and crumbled from beneath him.<p>

Obviously it was harder to maintain his grip with his body weight and gravity now working against him. However this was where his upper body workouts came into play as he easily hoisted himself higher using his one arm. Manifesting a combat knife in his hands he jammed it into the stone and with the added leverage he pulled himself up over the edge.

He rolled over and stopped on his back as he began to breathe heavily, luckily there was a cave not 10 feet beside him which he could find refuge in to wait out this blizzard. Not too happy on freezing to death he rose to his feet and ventured inside the cave. He didn't have to worry about any stray animals making a home inside because they seemed to be as nonexistent in the Twilight Zone as other humans.

He ripped off the cloth covering his lower face and a sleeve, he could just manifest more clothing if he needed, and put it together in a pile. Holding a lighter in his palm he lit the clothing to provide him with some warmth in this frosty environment. He rubbed his hands together before placing them in front of the flames.

He couldn't stay here for too long, in a habitat like this it was best to keep moving to avoid being overwhelmed by the elements. He had climbed the mountain so that he could get some practice in on his winter combat training and survival techniques, but then Mother Nature seemed to be on her period because she sent this god awful whiteout his way.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the only thing he brought with him on his climb; it was the picture of that enigmatic youth he hated so irrationally. He placed it beside the fire careful not to place it so close that it would ignite, but so he would be able to see the face.

"I bet he's somewhere warm." Null said to himself

* * *

><p>Jaqueris placed his hand on his forehead to try and soothe the headache he felt coming on. He opened his eyes to hazy vision and a nauseous feeling. There were large bandages on his shoulder and chest area reminding him of the situation he found himself in.<p>

* * *

><p>The warehouse was burning with a vibrant glow and gave off a magnificent heat. Sirens could be heard as they rushed to the area to combat the smoke spewing inferno. Jaqueris however wasn't concerned with the outside as he was smack dab in the middle of the trouble.<p>

That explosion had been massive and it took all the power he had available to protect himself from the blast, but even then he wasn't totally successful as he was burned badly on his left arm and his shirt and coat were torched. There were a few cuts on his cheeks and the detonation had managed to knock the wind out of him.

He stood up weakly as his legs shook, the smoke was thick and Jaqueris didn't have enough energy to use any of his enhance visions to find the exit. He was finding it quite difficult to breathe with the suffocating smolder hanging in the air. His mind came up with the option of getting on all fours and crawling to find a way out, but he wasn't sure about whether he could get back up if he laid down now.

"Dammit." He said before he began to cough hoarsely

With this he felt his remaining strength leave him and he fell to his knees. He placed his hand on the ground to support him and stop him from completely collapsing, but could feel it wasn't really going to help.

He couldn't believe his luck, he'd been played by a fucking lackey, the pawn on the chessboard and now he was going to either be burnt alive or die from asphyxiation neither of which seemed like a particularly preferable way to kick the bucket. Well no matter his preference he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

His energy reserves were shot and he couldn't even force himself to crawl to prolong his life. He mentally cursed himself once again at being outsmarted and led into this trap that would see the end of him. The heat was greater now but he couldn't actually feel it as he felt himself slip into unconsciousness. His last thought was only how he'd failed to avenge his family's death.

* * *

><p>That was the last thing he remembered before blacking out once more and resigning himself to his fate. The next thing he knew he was in the guest room at Keenan's house waking up with a throbbing headache and a dull pain running along his arm and chest where he'd been burned. He went to lift the bandages to see the full extent of his injury.<p>

"Don't worry about those. Your wounds healed a few hours after we brought you to the house." Said a voice

Jaqueris turned sorely to his right as he spotted David. Sitting in a chair he'd pulled up beside the bed, he also noticed it was night time still, but wasn't sure if it was the same day or not.

"What…" Jaqueris began before a hand from David silenced him

"We came not long after the explosion and miraculously we found you unconscious outside the warehouse, but you still had a myriad of second degree burns and a few deep cuts." Explained David

Jaqueris sighed as he looked up at the ceiling and tried to figure out where he went wrong in his vendetta. He had practically been on offense since he started this personal war with Capelli which probably blinded him to any counter attacks by the gangster that could be moving into place. This left him open to be blindsided by someone who lacked the mental forte to devise such a plan as this namely, Barry.

"Man, I'd never thought I'd see the day where I would be blown up and live to tell about it." Joked Jaqueris rubbing his temple

David looked down and squeezed his hands for what he was about to say, "Yeah, there has been a few surprises since we started this little…brigade." He said

Jaqueris looked at him strangely, his body language had been tense when he woke up, but that was expected. It didn't become strange until his mannerisms stayed this way; it was if he had something he needed to get off his chest.

Jaqueris sat up and put his legs over the edge of the bed letting them hit the floor, "Well, what do you expect? I can't see how Spider-man makes a living doing this."

"Yeah." David said tersely, his face was extremely serious and a bit unnerving to Jaqueris

Needing a bit of space he got up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom to remove the now unneeded bandages.

"How long, Jaqueris?" asked David suddenly

Jaqueris turned around dumbfounded at his friend's question. David had now stood up and was facing Jaqueris with a rock hard expression on his face with a tint of disappointment slipping through. The more Jaqueris observed his David's facial features the more he began to piece together what his friend was referring to and he felt his heart drop.

"Look, David I don't…" he stopped when David reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He stiffly threw it at Jaqueris forcing him to catch it before it struck him in the nose.

"This is what I mean, it's Kick. I found it in your pocket when we picked you!" he said gruffly

Jaqueris squeezed the bottle tightly as he stared at it in his hand; he knew that indulging in this drug would probably lead to an undesirable situation such as this. That didn't stop him however because no matter how much he hated to admit it, he needed the benefits it provided.

"Look, I know what this looks like, but believe me when I tell you it was absolutely necessary." Said Jaqueris calmly

David snorted and smiled, which was obviously not one of happiness, he placed his hands on his hips like a parent waiting for a child to try and explain away their mistake, "Jaqueris, this is a drug. No matter what you use it for its wrong!" He argued

Jaqueris took issue with this, "Listen, to me David, this man he took…**EVERYTHING** from me! Everything, and now that I have to chance to pay him back, you had better believe that I will do anything to see that he pays for his crimes!" he then held up the bottle so that it was beside his face, "ANYTHING!"

David pursed his lips together and began to shake his head slowly in an up and down motion, but he certainly wasn't agreeing with Jaqueris in the slightest. His friend was heading down a path of destruction and he wanted desperately to help him, but he seemed hell bent on carrying out his revenge even if he would permanently injure himself in the process. He momentarily wondered if he had a death wish.

"I'm sorry, Jaqueris." His voice was calm now, "I can't be a part of a suicide attempt, I can't help you anymore." He finished as he slowly made his way towards the door

Jaqueris watched him edge towards the exit, curious to if he would actually walk out on him during this crucial time. At first he was confident his loyalty would win out, but with each step he felt this confidence slip away until David's hand was on the doorknob.

"David" he called causing his friend to turn his head, but keep his hand on the doorknob "What I'm doing is justice. This man needs to be put off the street, by any means necessary. People like him are opportunists, he'd do the same thing to me in fact he already has." He said passionately

David eyed his friend with an unreadable gaze before saying, "You know you remind me of someone. Someone who didn't let anyone stand in his way of his plans, not even his closet friend." Jaqueris raised his brow showing he didn't know who David was referring to.

"His name was Magneto." Jaqueris stood silent when David said this. He knew of the mutant terrorist who he compared to the likes of Malcolm X, however he didn't know how he should feel about being likened to the man, was David saying he was a terrorist?

Seeing as Jaqueris was not responding David said one final thing before leaving, "The thing about the eye for an eye mantra is that the whole world goes blind." he then walked out closing the door softly behind him

Jaqueris was now alone in the room and stared at the doorway. He went over in his head all he had done to get to Capelli, intimidation and arson being the most prominent, and wondered if his friend's words rang true. Was he a terrorist?

He clenched the empty Kick bottle even tighter in his hand and came to a conclusion. If he was a terrorist like David said he was then he would deal out the terror. He would wield it like a weapon to suit his needs and what a magnificent weapon it would be. The first to feel the brunt of this would be Barry, the unsuspecting pawn.

* * *

><p>Barry was walking happily through the hallway to his apartment. The reason he was so jovial was known to only him and his bosses. Tonight he took a huge step in climbing the ladder of his "business" trade; he had eliminated a growing pain in his boss' side before it had the chance to become something great. Mind you he had help from Capelli, it was him that pulled the trigger to blow that warehouse and anyone in it to Kingdom Come, if he didn't get a raise or promotion for this then he didn't know what else he could do.<p>

He checked his cellphone to see the time read 2:30 a.m., "Woah! Late night." He said chuckling to himself as he rummaged through his set of keys. Arriving on the correct one he opened his door as he began to dance to an inaudible tune.

When he was inside he didn't cut on the lights and his joyful gyrations prevented him from seeing the figure standing before him. He turned around to close his door now humming in addition to dancing, he expected to come home, fix himself something to eat, and then hit the hay, but someone had other plans.

As soon as he turned around he was met with a fist that seemed to have a blade formed over his hand and it was made of…lightning. It was sheer luck that he was able to dodge as the surprise caused him to fall as the hand rammed through the door leaving an impressionable hole. He crawled away from the figure fearfully who now had both hands wrapped in the strange energy blades.

He ripped his hand cleanly from the door, "Barry, you and I need to talk." He said before jumping slightly into the air intending to impale him. Barry was on instinct now and not so skillfully rolled to the left to avoid being skewered. The sabers embedded themselves into the ground, but that didn't stop the assault in the slightest.

He just retracted them from the ground and ran after him again. This time Barry rose up and ran towards the bathroom door, but due to the darkness in his apartment he didn't see the couch before him and flipped over the back. This might've been for the best however as the enigma sliced through the sofa right down the middle completely splitting it in half.

Barry looked in disbelief before the instinct of survival kicked back in making him scramble to his feet and run inside the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and prayed it held him long enough for him to find his gun. He rushed towards the bottom of the sink to retrieve his Glock.

Readying it to fire he pointed it at the door his hands shaking like a tree limb. He had no idea who this guy was, someone he owned money too? No he didn't have any debts that he could remember. Was it an assassin? Sent by whom, who could possibly want him dead? Mr. Capelli, he certainly had the resources, but why would he do that, after all his loyal years of service it didn't make any sense.

He was interrupted when the door to the bathroom was ripped off its hinges. Barry began to fire wildly into the darkness and hoped the bullets met their mark. He stopped once he emptied his clip and let a long held breath release once he didn't detect any movement beyond the door frame.

He lowered the gun slightly before it was yanked from his hands and out the door. Right after this he was thrown back against the mirror in his bathroom by an invisible force. He held his chest where he felt the pressure come into contact with him.

Not having time to gather himself a young boy ran through the door and pistol whipped Barry across the jaw. He felt his teeth loosen as streak of blood flew from his mouth, the boy then grabbed his collar and flipped him over into his tub which was mysteriously full of water.

He breathed in some of the liquid and quickly raised his head above water so as not to choke. He coughed as his body tried to expel the water from his lungs. Barry attempted to rise but slipped back into the tub clumsily.

He looked at the boy who now had him at gunpoint and had his other hand crackling with electricity. Now Barry was no science geek but he knew it wouldn't end well for him if the freak decided to electrocute him while he was soaked like this. He looked at the kid's face, he'd never seen him before but he seemed familiar despite the fact that his face was twisted in anger.

"So Barry, tell me which do you prefer? A bullet to the skull or would you like your internal organs on a skillet?" he said

The fear for his life was now at its peak as he held up his hands, "Listen, I don't know what I did to you but I promise you I can make up for it!" he yelled frantically

"Oh, you didn't do much just blow me halfway to hell!" he looked to the right as if thinking on something "I've decided I'm going to shock you then shoot you." He said lowering his hand towards the tub

"Wait! Goddammit!" urged Barry as he held his hand out in stopping motion

He cursed himself for getting into this situation, he should've snuffed the brat the first time he showed up, but due to his negligence he was paying for it. He had to think fast on what he could give the psycho so that he wouldn't fry him or introduce a new hole into his head.

"I can give you more Kick! A…as much as you want I…I know where Joseph keeps his most private stash!" he cried with anticipation

This probably was not the thing the boy wanted to hear as his grimaced deepened and he placed the gun closer to Barry's forehead and pulled down the lever of the handgun cocking it. He obviously didn't like the insinuation that he was a junkie who could be persuaded with drugs.

"Jesus Christ, man,…what the hell do you want?" he screamed almost on the verge of crying

Surprisingly the boy lowered the gun in a nonthreatening position, but kept the charge in his hand active. He leaned in closer to Barry who hoped he wouldn't accidentally touch the water and sauté him.

"I want Joseph Capelli. No more games or indirect attacks. Him and me, face to face, we end this." He informed the man

Jaqueris then unloaded the clip from the gun and dropped it inside the tub. Barry saw the electricity die down in his hand before he walked out of the bathroom. He heard the door close signifying the boy had left.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was now waiting on the roof of the apartment he'd infiltrated. He mentally patted himself on the back for his work and continued to sit patiently for confirmation. Soon he could hear the sound of cellphone chatter in his ear. This was how he tracked Barry to his home; he just focused on the man's particular cellular signal, which he could activate by simply calling his number, until he could zero in on him.<p>

Now he paid attention as Barry called his superior.

"Boss, it's him again. The plan didn't fall through he's still alive." Said Barry

Joseph was currently in his silk latin sheets which was covering his bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt and was currently a little exasperated over being disturbed from his slumber especially by one such as Barry. However he quickly forgot his irritation when his subordinate mentioned the reappearance of a nuisance.

"What do you mean "It's him again" did you not follow my instructions?" said Capelli holding back from yelling

"Yeah, but it didn't work. He…he's a mutie boss, what can you expect?" said Barry nervously

Capelli clinched his teeth tightly; the incompetence of underlings was always a constant source of aggravation for him. "I expect results!" he said firmly

Even though they were on opposite phones on different sides of the city, Barry felt apprehension when he heard the tinge of displeasure in his boss' voice.

"What do you want me to do boss? He wants a meeting just you and him, mano-a-mano." He told him before he lost his nerve

The gangster rubbed his temples to ease his nerves, aside from his loyal bodyguard and friend Toro good help was so hard to find locally. But then again perhaps there in lied the problem, he was trying to look **locally**.

"Tell him he can have it. Tomorrow in Central Park, I'll set up a time later." He said before hanging up

He then began to dial another number he had not expected to use ever again. This little _punk_ had graduated from a small thorn in his side to a bothersome sore. He had to deal with this before it got out of hand, if word was to spread that a couple of do gooders were able to cause him this much discomfort he could potentially begin to lose the most important ingredient that a power base required…respect.

* * *

><p>Null was currently in a full sprint across the rooftops of Rio. He wasn't wearing a shirt and was sweating heavily from the strain that Parkour placed on the body. The French art of movement however had become one of his favorite past times in the Twilight Zone. It simultaneously allowed him to close a large distance quickly while exercising various muscles of his body.<p>

A perfect example would be the ledge he was approaching; he leaped off and saw that he was headed for the top of a dome with a pointy protrusion at the top. As he landed he grabbed it and spun clockwise before jumping off this roof as well.

His next destination was a structure that had two parallel walls which had a space big enough for a human. He landed in the middle and quickly extended all of his limbs so that he was suspended under his own strength. He then relaxed enough so that he slid down the wall rapidly, before descending completely he jumped forward and grabbed the ledge of another building.

Null pulled himself up over the edge and gazed into the sun. In this part of the world it was supposed to be sunny, but for some reason this seemed especially so today. He'd been stuck in this place for who knows how long, but it seemed like years literally. He remembered the sun rising and falling many times over and just got bored keeping track of time.

Besides it didn't seem like he was going anywhere anytime soon. At this he was enveloped in a blinding light.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was currently near the top of the Empire State building. He had flown here to try and think about the events that were soon to come. He looked down at the lights made by the buildings and moving cars and he thought how small they looked. It was as if he was stuck in his own microcosm and everyone else was just living their day to day lives.<p>

"Whoa, I thought I had to only ticket up here." Said a jovial voice

Jaqueris looked upwards towards the very top of the building as a man in a red and blue suit with web patterning and a spider on his chest clung to the pole of the building.

"Spider-man." Said Jaqueris simply

He was too stuck in thought to be overcome with fanboy excitement at the fact that he was mere feet away from New York's most popular superhero.

"The one and only kid" he leapt from the tip top and placed his and feet on the wall so that he could talk to Jaqueris and face him while talking but still stick to the building. "I'm guessing you're not up here for the scenery, but then again maybe you are."

Jaqueris reached inside his pocket and retrieved the Kick bottle; he threw it as hard as he could muster.

"I hope that doesn't hit anyone. You know that thing they say about a penny falling from the top of the Empire State and killing someone if they get hit in the head. It's true." He explained

Jaqueris chuckled but didn't know exactly why.

"Hey, a laugh I thought you were one of those creepy Emo's." said Spiderman

"Don't you mean Goth's?" Jaqueris asked

"No, Emo's, popular misconception." He corrected

Jaqueris said nothing to this as he was silently considering asking for Spiderman's help with Capelli. He was after all far more experienced than Jaqueris in dealing with criminals and it would ease his anxiousness knowing that he had backup but…

"Spider-man, can I ask you something?"

Spider-man looked at the boy squarely, "Depends, you're not going to ask for my social security or account numbers are you because I'm not too sure I remember it myself." He continued to joke

Jaqueris smirked, "Naw, just your opinion on something. What would you do if you lost someone very important to you and then had the chance to take revenge on the one who did it. My question is would you?"

Spider-man didn't have to struggle to try and imagine the situation. After what the Goblin had done to Gwen Stacy, he remembered being filled with rage and an irresistible urge to kill the insane man. Well almost irresistible.

"Let me you tell you a story. It's about one of the most trying times of my time in these brightly colored tights." Jaqueris listened closely; it wasn't everyday one got to get a sneak peek into the psychology of one of the world's most iconic superheroes.

"I was facing one of my most dangerous enemies, not too far from here actually. He'd captured one of my…_friends_ and I had to save her." Spider-man stopped for a minute as the memories of that night came rushing back full circle.

"Unfortunately, I didn't because of my inability, incompetence or whatever you wanna call it. I lost her that night." He said despairingly

"What did you do to him?" asked Jaqueris curiously

"I chased him to a secluded area with the intent purpose of killing him, but when the time came…I couldn't go through with it. It wasn't from loss of nerve either it was because…I knew that if I went down that path, I would become the very thing I was fighting against." He finished

Jaqueris let this soak in. Spider-man's story was similar to his own in so many ways that it was scary. The only thing that seemed to vary was the ending which was still undecided for him. He also noticed the internal struggle that paralleled his own.

He stood up and faced the hero, "Thank you Spider-man, I guess you don't always have to knock out bad guys to lend a helping hand."

"But knocking them out still helps." He added

Jaqueris smiled one final time before stepping off the edge to the shock of the wall crawler.

"Whoa!" Spider-man was ready to shoot his webs to stop the boy from becoming a pizza sauce on the sidewalk. So he was surprised when the boy floated back up in front of Spider-man.

"See ya." Jaqueris said before flying off into the distance

Spider-man watched him soar into the night and said only one thing, "Man…I wish I could fly."

* * *

><p>Okay, I know it was a boring chapter, but I felt it was appropriate to set things up for the conclusion next chapter. I originally intended this arc to only be three chapters long but for some reason it was extended past that. Well anyway review and tune in for the climax of my first major arc.<p>

"


	13. Uneasy Alliances Conclusion

**Uneasy Alliances Conclusion**

* * *

><p>His head was foggy both literally and metaphorically, but he could faintly make out the voices of the people around him.<p>

"When is he gonna wake up?" said one of the mystifying voices

"I don't know but he's been out since we left and that was nearly 8 hours ago." He heard another say

As his senses began to return to him he could slightly make out his surroundings. He was obviously in a vehicle of some sort, but it wasn't made for the road as he couldn't feel the traction from driving on the earth. Wherever he was it was dark save for a few flashing lights and the dim illumination cast by the moon.

Shaking his head he felt the remaining disorientation clear up if only a little.

"Come on, shake it off, you were trained better than that." He heard a voice say, it didn't sound like the person speaking was in the same means of transportation as him in fact it sounded as if the voice was being broadcasted.

He looked into his lap to find a mobile device that had a face he had not seen since his last training session before he entered the Twilight Zone. It was the face of Doctor Stevens, his personal handler; Null could tolerate him as he was very professional in their encounters if a bit overbearing. His only question was why he was talking to him from a presumably large distance than face to face like he normally would.

"Ok, Stevens, from the blurred vision, dizziness, and dry mouth I can tell I was spiked with some narcotics. You mind telling me why exactly?" asked the boy

The man didn't immediately respond and just stared as if he was frozen letting Null know he was talking to a recording.

"You're finally getting what you want. An old colleague of mine has requested our services and the higher-ups thought this would be a good test for you." He informed

Null rolled his eyes because he knew that by "good test" he knew the doctor meant an opportune time to see if the directors of the program had not wasted their money on a failed experiment. He really hated being treated like some tool to be sharpened then used as that implied that once he finally dulled he would be thrown away to be replaced by a newer, better, more efficient substitute.

However he had no intention to of ever letting them see him "dull".

"Our employer for this mission is Joseph Capelli" as he said this his picture disappeared to reveal a middle aged man with a hint of graying on the sides of his head and the tell tale signs of small wrinkles in his face.

"_Politician." _Thought Null

"He's a mayoral candidate in New York City, and as of right now he's the front runner." Null smirked at his astuteness, "However, he has some business to the side that the public would frown upon."

"_Of course." _He thought sarcastically

"He's had a bit of trouble with someone who's managed to uncover some of his dirty dealings and apparently he's a mutant." Stevens face then returned to the screen as he continued to speak, "He classified this as urgent so you are being transported to his location post haste. Joseph's going to give you the intimate details in person once you arrive." He finished

The man's expression then changed from one of professionalism to one that looked as if he was saying goodbye to a child as he went off to college. He removed his glasses which seemed to only emphasize his look.

"Look, Ja'Keyon" Null knew that whatever he had to say was important for him to use his real name "this is your first field mission. All your preparation, all your training will culminate into this very moment. The only thing I want to say to you is…be safe and come back alive."

Null's face didn't betray the tug he felt at his heart, the parental advice had come as a shock to him as he was used to the cold and taciturn environment he'd been instructed in. Secretly wanting to hear more he listened very closely.

"Oh and Maria wants to tell you something herself." The screen changed again into the face of the purple haired woman known as Maria Gale, the two had a sort of big sister little brother relationship which she showed by teasing and warning him of the dangers of overtraining. While he returned the favor in the form of smarmy remarks and quips.

"Listen, Ja'Keyon, I know I give you a hard time and we can get on each other's nerves a bit" Null sniggered at this as he agreed mentally "But please listen to me when I say…don't do anything stupid or reckless that can get you killed alright?" she said cupping her hands in a begging motion

Ja'Keyon felt that same tug at his emotional strings again as she continued, "I would say good luck, but that might have the opposite effect so instead…break a leg." She before the screen darkened

The young operative sighed at the overprotection the two scientists showed for him. In essence it was extremely annoying and completely unprincipled, but for some reason that escaped him he kinda of sort of…liked it. It made him feel like he wasn't just some toy to be thrown away when his owners were tired of him, like he had a place.

"We're approaching the drop zone, you should get ready." Alerted the pilot of the plane

Null pushed these sentimental thoughts from his head and stood up. The hatch for exiting the plane began to open letting the air blow inside harshly before reversing and heading outwards. The wind didn't bother him, but it was enough to make him squint in a minor fashion.

The extra agent drew near holding the gear for a paratrooper, Null laughed at the man's ignorance of his abilities.

"I won't be needing that." He said holding his hand up

He then went to the edge of the hatch as the air continued to blast into his face. The boy actually loved paragliding, but his affection was currently supplanted by the fact that he was going on his first solo mission. If, no when, he did succeed on this there would be many more to come, which also meant more excitement.

Null looked over the edge into the water and could make out the reflection of lights from the city they were fast approaching.

"We are 10 seconds from the drop zone." Called the pilot

The gear that the man had previously tried giving him sprang into existence except it was adorned on his body and his helmet said "Fly Boy" on the side written in yellow paint.

"We are in the drop zone, you're clear to go." Informed the pilot

Needing no further encouragement Null stepped off of the plane and free fell towards the city below. The wind was rushing into his ears deafening him, but he didn't mind because for the moment he was just going to enjoy the view of the metropolis below. For a second he pitied whoever was to be his opposition in his maiden assignment.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was downstairs fixing himself a small breakfast, he knew he would need his energy, but he couldn't really force himself to eat anything. He didn't sleep much last night his anxiety ensured that he wouldn't stay asleep for too long. Stirring his cereal in its bowl he was joined by his cousin Keenan.<p>

"What's up man? You always up this early?" He said smiling

Jaqueris personally found it hard to smile now and considered Keenan lucky that he would not have to be involved in the coming events. His previous talk with Spider-man had opened his eyes to the danger of involving his loved ones in his crusade.

"Keenan, I've gotta tell you something." His cousin perked up at this "I'm really appreciative of what you've done for me, but…I don't want you helping me with Capelli anymore. It's gotten too dangerous."

Keenan put on a confused face at his cousin's statement, "What? Come on Jaqueris we've been through nearly everything together, why the change a' heart now?" he questioned

Jaqueris felt the urge to go the secretive route and say something like, "It's complicated" but decided on the most direct and truthful route. "There's too much risk involved at least with me, I'm a mutant so I've got a better chance of taking Capelli down and living."

Keenan was about to object again when they both heard footsteps coming downstairs. It was Keenan's mother and Jaqueris' aunt signaling for the two to cease their conversation. For obvious reasons they had not told her of their recent activities and divulging it now would serve no purpose and further complicate matters.

Jaqueris used her arrival as an opportunity to leave the table, "Just listen to me Keenan, I really appreciate what you've done, but I have to do this alone now." He said before walking towards the door

* * *

><p>He was dressed in sports clothes because he was going to run, but once he was outside he felt deflated. Earlier that night he had decided not to return to his temporary home until it was time to meet Capelli and already knew where he was going to stay until that time.<p>

It took him about an hour to reach his destination and he had developed a light sweat on his forehead. He looked on morbidly at the cemetery which reasonably had a deathly silence about it. Jaqueris fought back some powerful emotions as he walked toward a particular area of the graveyard.

Once there he just stared at the tombstone that was engraved with his family member's names, Samella Malcolm for his grandmother, James Malcolm for his father, Lynn Chisolm for his mother, and David and Debra O' Sullivan for his aunt and uncle respectively. A single tear escaped from his eye as he neared his another headstone. The last memorial held the name of his brother like the rest of his family they could not find a body, but Jaqueris felt a bit more anguish staring at his grave.

The boy was only eleven years old and though he was a bit of a juvenile delinquent he was good at heart and had aspirations of following in his brother's footsteps and becoming a nationally ranked basketball player though he would never admit that aloud.

He kneeled down as he placed his hand on the rock and spoke with his voice beginning to crack, "Hey, guys I…I know I ha…haven't been to visit lately, but I've been busy. Busy getting the guy who did this to you and I promise, I promise that…" he stopped speaking as he placed his head into his hand and began to weep uncontrollably

He wasn't one to show emotion so openly, but there was no one else around anyway and even if there was he doubted he could've held back the torrent of tears he had buried deep inside himself for a while. It was during his sobbing that he realized how much this meant to him, personally, there was no turning back he had to ensure Capelli felt every ounce of his frustration, rage, and sorrow and he intended to deliver it.

* * *

><p>Null walked towards the docks, the message from Dr. Stevens told him he would have to meet Capelli on his private yacht at around this time. It wasn't too hard finding the boat because of the sheer size of it and he couldn't help but wonder if the man was overcompensating for something else he lacked.<p>

The man who hired him was sitting on the deck in an outstretched chair and had three guards standing at the front of the step allowing you to ascend to the boat and another was standing stoically to his side. He was casually sipping from a classy glass and didn't seem to notice Null approach.

Not one to be ignored he stepped forward to climb onto the boat, but was stopped by the two men. Looking at the hand on his shoulder he smiled arrogantly at the one who had placed it there.

"Careful, big guy, we've just met. You could at least ask me for my name first." He told the man

He didn't respond but simply stared. The larger guard standing beside Capelli then turned as his boss continued to drink. "Sorry, young man, Mr. Capelli isn't taking any pictures today." He said

He slightly took offence to being mistaken for a lowly photographer or worse news reporter, but did not retaliate in his normal snide way. He didn't want to banter with his employer too early on, he would preferred to rather not knock out the man if he proved to be a stiff who couldn't take a joke and fail his first mission.

"I'm not a reporter, I'm here for the job." He notified

This time Capelli stopped his leisurely to face the boy and dropped his shades. His mouth almost dropped at seeing him alive and breathing. This was on account that the boy standing in front of him was supposed to be dead. Shot down by his associate, but here he was walking and talking, but he was different in a way.

The kid didn't look to be over 18 and stood about 5'10'', however the boy that Toro executed was about 11 years old and wasn't as tall, he seemed to have aged 5 years in the time span of a month, but that was impossible. He looked up at Toro who also noticed the supposedly deceased boy in front of him. His mind allowed the possibility of a ghost or poltergeist to enter before he stomped it down.

Capelli made a motion with his head signaling his guards to remove the adolescent from his presence. The goon squeezed Null's shoulder causing the martially trained boy to give the appropriate response of grabbing his wrist and flipping him over his shoulder.

He didn't let go and when the man hit the ground he twisted his wrist until there was a loud wet snap. The adult screamed like a child who had just gotten a nasty scrap and clutched his wrist tightly as he rolled in pain.

Within the span of a few seconds Null spun back towards the other man and delivered to two chain punches to his gut and finished him with a roundhouse kick across the skull. The two formerly dignified men groaned in pain on the ground and Null turned his attention back to Capelli.

"Told you I wasn't a reporter." He said smugly

Now the last guard was moving forward to try his hand at taking down the youth, but was saved from embarrassment by Capelli holding him in place.

"Don't Toro, I think we've made a mistake here." Said Capelli referring to their initial evaluation of the boy and his execution

Null didn't have to hear him say that to know that he was impressed by his display, but the man was in a seat of power he couldn't really show his astonishment at a boy of 16 taking out two full grown men like they were training dummies.

"Please, join us." He offered before motioning for Toro to grab a chair

Null smirked at the man's new show of respect, it was funny how much a few punches and kicks could change someone's perspective of you. He stepped onto the boat as Capelli stared at him through his shades. The brother of Jaqueris didn't seem to remember him or at least was an actor deserving of an Oscar because he could not find any sense of anger that one would expect from facing the man who killed them.

He examined him by looking up and down and put his tongue in his cheek, "Why would they send a child for an assignment of this nature?" he asked

He'd been expecting that question after all when one pictured a secret agent what normally came to mind was Captain America or the Black Widow not someone who looked like they were going to try for their driver's license for the first time.

"Skill isn't restricted by age." He answered

The man nodded his head, "Indeed.". By now Toro had returned with the chair and placed it for Null to sit in which he did. He also began to stare at him wearingly as if to find something to explain his reappearance.

"I sincerely hope you have skill because this job will require precision and accuracy." He held his hand up as Toro gave him a photo "The person I need taken care of is a mutant and from what I can tell a potent one."

He handed the picture to Null and the face made him almost growl in anger. It was the face of the boy who was in his own picture, smiling in that same fashion; needless to say this picture was in much better condition than his own as there were no scorch marks to be found. Using all his soothing skills Null exhaled a breath before speaking again.

"Who is he? What are his powers?"

Capelli took note of the boy's momentary silence and questioned himself for the cause of it. He worried that he had recognized his brother in the picture and would refuse the job but that didn't seem to be the case in fact the boy seemed even more eager now.

"I can't exactly tell you, but he was able to take out two guards with a touch. He has managed to consistently to make my worker wet his pants, though this isn't really an accomplishment. Oh and he was able to blackout the entire Bronx borough in an instant." He filled in

Null closed his eyes as he digested this new information. His target seemed to have electrokinesis if caused a blackout or the ability to emit large levels of radiation, which also would explain how he could drop two men without any visible effort. He couldn't explain the pants wetting part beyond that he was skilled in intimidation.

He brought up the corner of his mouth in a smile. This might prove to be very interesting indeed.

"Is that all you can tell me?" he asked now barely containing his excitement at the prospect of being presented with a challenge

"No, before you strike at the heart of the beast, you have to weaken it first. Also there is a rat I want you to snuff out for me." He finished

Null cocked his head to the side as he heard the words "snuff out" looks like his issue with non lethality would not be a problem with this man.

* * *

><p>Barry was returning to his apartment with a heavy weight on his chest. Mr. Capelli had right out ordered him to return to his home and not move until further notice. As always he couldn't tell how he was feeling from over the phone, but his paranoid mind made him picture the worst case scenario.<p>

Perhaps he was angry that he had allowed himself to be bullied by a twerp or maybe his disappointment went back to the incident at the nightclub. He breathed in deeply, he had to calm down he wasn't even sure that the Boss was angry he had proved himself lenient before why should this time be different.

He was at his door and finding his key to enter. Yeah, he had nothing to worry about, after his loyal years of service Mr. Capelli wouldn't hand him too severe a punishment.

He opened his door with a smile threatening to creep up on his face. Like a previous situation he didn't notice the figure standing behind the door with folded arms. He was fine even if Mr. Capelli did decide to reprimand him he could bounce back after all what was the worst he could do…kill him?

Barry heard a ruffling sound behind him and turned to find himself staring down the barrel of a silencer.

* * *

><p>Capelli was sitting in the car with Toro; they were currently waiting for their associate to return from his task. In truth Toro had high doubts of the boy being able to carry out what was asked of him and was a little insulted that he wasn't asked instead. No matter how many fancy moves you mastered it was a whole nother ball game when you were asked to kill someone. The look of terror in their eyes as they knew you held their life in your hands could be both empowering and disabling even when that look came from a screw up like Barry.<p>

He was about to speak to Joseph about their time restraint when the Zombie Kid appeared across the street. His clothes were not ruffled or wrinkled in anyway so either he offed Barry with ease or he chickened out and was coming to tell them he couldn't go through with it. This would of course allow Toro to handle the job, the one with Barry and completing the one with the Zombie.

He got into the car and found a seat near the door and away from the two men. He had a bored expression on his face along with a smidge of blood on his cheek.

"How did it go?" asked the experienced sentry

"Uninteresting, the idiot walked inside and didn't even check his living space. I had to knock something over so that he could turn around if I hadn't done that I might still be up there." He wiped the blood from his face and turned to the two nonchalantly

Toro had to admit hearing a child talk about a murder with such indifference was a bit unnerving, but then seeing someone you thought you killed walk up to you was just as disturbing.

"Did you make sure no evidence was left?" asked Joseph

An explosion rocked the window of the car as the room where Barry's apartment was became engulfed in flames. The boy looked out the window and smiled at his handiwork before saying, "Yeah."

Toro wasn't blind to the irony in Barry's fate, but said nothing of it as he just became wearier of the boy due to his brutality. Joseph made a hand and accompanying head motion to the driver to move.

"Very well, now I have another undertaking for you which is just as important. However I feel this will require a bit more…subtlety." Joseph said steepling

* * *

><p>Jaqueris woke up from his slumber. He was lying on a bench not too far from his family's tombstones; he must've dozed off while grieving. Pulling out his cellphone he read the time as 2:00 pm, he had slept for 3 hours.<p>

As he gathered himself the gravity of the situation began to weigh down on him once again. He rubbed his eyes, which were red, and gave another stare at their resting places. The time for crying was over, it was time to act and put a close to this chapter of his life.

Not wanting to waste time he decided to fly back to Keenan's house. He was there in less than 10 minutes in contrary to the hour it took him by foot to arrive. Walking up to the door he felt a bizarre feeling overtake him, it was indescribable because he had never felt it before, but it reminded him of nostalgia as well as the anxiousness got when one was about to enter a new situation.

He opened the door to find a sight that explained away his fretfulness. The house was in ruins reminiscent of his own when it had been hit by thieves. His mind began to race through possibilities though he already knew who was responsible for this.

Moving to the windows he lowered all the blinds and closed the door so the house was utterly dark. He then changed his eyes to see in the ultraviolet spectrum allowing him to see normally invisible clues.

There were footsteps obviously on the floor but their strides were irregular as if someone had been widening their stance before moving. Searching the walls he thankfully found nothing that resembled blood, but he did find hand prints on the floor meaning someone had fallen down.

He did a survey of upstairs and found nothing in particular that was different than downstairs. With this slew of information he saw that only one person had been responsible for this who Jaqueris guessed was Toro.

Jaqueris continued to look around for something, anything that would ease his worries about his remaining family members well being. It wasn't long before he came across a conveniently placed card near the entrance.

Holding the card in his hand he saw it read, "Central Park, 4:00."

Crumbling it in his hands he felt his temper rising. Even when he had tried to distance his family from the consequences of his choice they still managed to be caught in the crossfire. Damn Capelli why did he keep doing this? It was like he was Jaqueris' own personal Devil who's only purpose was to torment him.

Electricity coursed throughout his body and clothes, his anger was continuously rising the more he thought about his incompetence. Soon his bioelectric output became so intense that his veins began to glow a stunning aqua color.

This was the last straw, on his honor; he swore to himself that he was going to **kill** Joseph Capelli.

* * *

><p>Null finished tying the boy's hands behind his back tightly. Him and his mother were bound and gagged with blindfold's including ear plugs just in case. They were mumbling through their restraints with the boy being extra difficult.<p>

"You know this isn't personal. Who knows in another life we might've been one big happy family." He said

The boy managed to expel the cloth that was covering his mouth. Even though his eyes weren't visible Null could tell he was looking with palpable contempt.

"You don't know what you're in for man. If you think my cousin is going to just sit around and let…" he began

"Keenan, is your name right?" The rebellious youth bit his lower lip at the sound of his name "Yeah, it is. I'm actually looking forward to what your cousin is going to do. I mean what's the fun in kidnapping someone if there isn't going to be a chase afterwards."

"What're you gonna do with us then?" he asked

Null squatted beside him and began to pinch his cheeks, "Well, you're the bait, for a really valuable fish. So ask yourself." He then slapped both of his cheeks with his hands irritating Keenan further "What do you do once you catch a big fish?"

He then conjured a dirty sock in his hand and shoved it into his captive's mouth. "Now try to be a little civil, while I introduce your cousin to something I like to call the Double Tap." He said before walking out.

Keenan laid his head sorrowfully on the floor as he thought, _"Queris."_

With his two VIP's safely secure Null returned topside on the deck of Capelli's yacht. Toro was waiting for him arms folded.

"Toro, why so defensive? It's like you don't trust me or something."

Toro's brow lifted under his shades as he scoffed at the fool's chatter. "Joseph, wants you to set up over there." He pointed northward two boats away "He's provided weaponry so that you can take the shot when the signal comes."

Null looked in the direction he specified leering the whole time, "That's sweet of him, but I don't ever use anyone's weapons but my own." He patted Toro on the shoulder before leaving the boat

* * *

><p>Joseph was sitting in the shade of a tree smoking a fresh Cuban cigar he was sitting in a chair at a table with a chessboard and an extra chair for his guest. He blew a plume of smoke into the air and looked at it before chuckling. What he was laughing at was a mystery even to him, but for some reason he found the transpiring events up to this moment funny. Who would've thought that a former All-American basketball player would prove to be such a hassle for him? He was reminded of the story of how Genghis Khan was underestimated by a potential ally causing said ally to disrespect him which effectively set up his own downfall at the wrath of the Great Khan.<p>

He stopped smoking when he felt the presence of someone behind him. It was Jaqueris and it didn't take a master of body language to know that he was filled with fury even though his face had an excellent veil of calm sewn on it.

"Please, take a seat." He offered chewing on the cigar

The mutant did just that and eyed Capelli with disdain. Capelli could literally feel the heat radiating off of him, it was almost solid in its potency. He gave the boy kudos for being able to maintain his composure in such a high stress situation.

"You don't smoke do you?" he said holding his cigar

Jaqueris lifted his finger to release a bolt of electrical energy that incinerated the contraband in his fingers leaving only dust. Capelli fiddled his fingers to get rid of the remaining ash.

"Bad for you anyway." He said before adjusting the chess set on the table "I'm sure you are a chess player, you have that aura about you. The aura of an intellectual and I thought you would enjoy playing a game before we concluded our business together."

Jaqueris frowned at the nerve of the man. He was mocking him, deliberately avoiding the topic of his family and extending the time for whatever egotistical purpose. He didn't want to play chess and he didn't want to butt heads with Capelli any longer, the only thing he wanted was to end this game of theirs and he wanted to end it **NOW.**

"I'll take white since it was I who took the initiative and began this _prosperous_ relationship between us." He said

Jaqueris didn't object because he felt that saying anything would only satisfy whatever pig headed agenda he had.

Capelli moved his King pawn one square forward with Jaqueris countering with a King pawn two squares. They played for about five minutes with Jaqueris' emotional state showing through in his playing style, at every move he was looking to hurt Capelli and even managed to deal some damage.

However Capelli believed in the saying "The best defense is a good defense." He showed it by maintaining a solid resistance throughout allowing Jaqueris to vent his frustrations and then dealing out his own attack when an opening appeared.

"Do you know what it was about you that caught my attention?" said Capelli suddenly

Jaqueris said nothing and moved another one of his pieces, "It wasn't your fame in the community. No any do gooder can achieve that, what drew me to you, was your will."

Capelli responded in kind by moving another of his pieces and capturing Jaqueris'. "I can sense your innate drive to obtain what you want. No matter what you had to do to get an audience with me you did and you did not take "No" for an answer."

Jaqueris looked at him in the eye his hate having not diminished in the slightest. He moved another piece in response.

"I possess the same gift. You see when I arrived in America with my family when I was 11 years old we did not have much money. In fact we were constantly hovering above the poverty line. My father, Winston, worked three jobs just so that we could have water to drink."

Capelli shifted his King one square on the back rank towards the edge of the board. Jaqueris had yet to say a word and Capelli slightly questioned whether the strain had caused him to experience a mental breakdown.

"Needless to say the strain on my mother was heavy…she died when I was 12 years old. My father…my father could not handle her departure and committed suicide not too long after." Jaqueris froze for a moment when he heard this; he'd thought Capelli's parents were abusive which made him find an outlet in crime. This revelation almost made him seem human and he felt his features soften by a miniscule amount.

"After my parents death I made a vow, that I would never go hungry again, never have to worry about where I was going to sleep. From that day forward I would obtain and hold on to power by any means necessary."

Jaqueris transported his piece over to capture one of Capelli's own. "This is our similarity, Jaqueris. We both know the pain of loss and that is why." He stopped speaking as he made another move "I extend the offer to you to come work for me."

Jaqueris was stupefied at his request, work for the man who killed his family, who forced him into a life he didn't quite understand. To ask such a thing was asinine, it was absurd, and yet strangely Jaqueris found himself considering it.

He would no longer have to worry about the mutant prejudice in the world as he would be respected and feared. His living arrangements would also be taken care of, it seemed like a dream come true…but that was before. Before Jaqueris remembered the black limousine as it strolled in front of him and his loved ones.

The hail of fire that sprang from the window, the mortified screams of his family as they were coldly cut down before his eyes. Before he answered Capelli's question and executed his final move he looked the man straight in the eye.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill You. There will be no more games, or elaborate chases. Here on this day, Joseph Capelli, you will die." He then knocked over his opponent's piece to signal a checkmate, game over.

Capelli looked at the board, he had indeed been defeated and his adversary's menacing threat only added on to it. He snickered to himself before descending into full blown laughter. Jaqueris watched him silently as he chortled to himself.

Calming down Capelli rose up from his seat and extended his hand, "You were a worthy foe." whether he was referring to the chess game or other things was left ambiguous.

Jaqueris looked at his hand, he wanted so badly to grab it and then send as much voltage and amps throughout the man's body as he could muster, but he needed to find his family first. So he took his hand, just for now he would indulge the man in his games.

"Now let's end this shall we?" Capelli said

* * *

><p>20 minutes later they had arrived at the docks. Capelli had Toro and two more guards with him, and Jaqueris thought how useless they would prove.<p>

"Your family is there." He pointed towards the largest boat at the docks

Jaqueris looked at Capelli suspiciously; he had been lured into circumstances like this before and had nearly been blown to pieces. However there was no other alternative for him, he had no other leads on Keenan and King, so for now he would have to trust Capelli.

Saying nothing he ran towards the yacht with only his hope. Once he was inside Capelli began to speak without moving his head, "Did you inform him to fire once he exits the boat?"

Toro nodded, "Yes, he's set up and ready."

Only two boats over Null chewing on a toothpick and had a dark green cap on his head and was in the prone position holding a PSG1 sniper rifle, it was pointed in the direction of the vessel. When he saw the boy his instincts told him to fire immediately, but he held back his impulses, he would get what he wanted soon enough and it would be all the sweeter.

Jaqueris found his aunt and cousin easily enough as they were not even hidden. In fact they seemed to be laid out so that they could be found easily. He wasted no time in releasing them from their binds. His aunt hugged him tightly once she was free.

"Oooohh, I'm so glad you're safe. I didn't know what they would do to you." She said

Keenan then came over and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Thanks man, I guess we have something else to add to crazy list of things to happen to us."

Jaqueris smiled at them, he was elated that they were safe but pissed at himself for putting them in this situation in the first place.

"Listen, they're not going to just let us walk away from this. So this is what I'm going to do, I'll head up and divert their attention to me after about 10 to 15 seconds I want you two to make a break for it. Don't look back and most importantly don't stop for anything."

Their faces instantly showed that they were not accepting of this plan, "No way I'm following that."

"Yes, your momma would roll over in her grave if she found out I let put yourself in harm's way to save us." King said

Jaqueris knew this was hard for them, not only were they his only remaining family, but he was theirs. They only had each other now because of Capelli, but he also knew that this was the plan with the best chance of succeeding.

"Listen! We don't have time to argue, the more time we spend down here the more time they have to surround the area and prevent any of us from leaving. At least this way you two have a chance of getting out. So please just trust me!" he pleaded

They could feel the raw emotion in his voice; he actually felt this was the best possible solution for them. He was also a mutant so he could probably take them down and allow them to escape as well.

"Fine." Said Keenan begrudgingly

"Come here." Said King as she pulled Jaqueris' head to her chin, she began to recite the Lord's Prayer aloud and Jaqueris found himself inwardly sighing at her actions but allowed her to continue. When she was finished she kissed him on the head for good luck.

He nodded to them and they all grabbed one another in a bear hug for what seemed like the final time. He then walked towards the stairs leading back outside.

Null was getting impatient; he was always bad at waiting for the action. They had been down there for what seemed like 30 minutes now. His itching trigger finger was only getting worse with the fact that the boy he waited so long to kill was inside and he couldn't act until he surfaced.

The gods must have sensed his discomfort because just when he thought he couldn't wait any longer he saw movement on the docks. It was Jaqueris and he was in Null's full unobstructed view. He looked through the scope and aimed the crosshairs on his head.

Finally after all this waiting he would be able to snuff out that boy once and for all. All that planning and fantasizing about how he would do the deed would come to fruition. He could nearly taste his exuberation and the more he thought about it the more…pointless it seemed.

He had never actually taken the time to ask himself why he hated the boy. He just assumed it was natural and that the kid had wronged him in some way, but now that it was time to fire to act out his ambitions…he froze. Was he afraid? No, he had killed someone not too long ago and felt nothing. So then what was the problem? Why was it so difficult for him to pull the trigger now that his target was right there in the flesh?

Jaqueris turned in his direction making it seem like in the scope he was looking into his eyes. He had to do this, but he couldn't. Memories…memories he didn't even know he had began to surface. Him and Jaqueris on a court, Jaqueris showing him the proper way to shoot a basketball, guard a defender and take a charge.

It did not make any sense, none of these things happened so why was he thinking of them all of a sudden? He had to kill him now, that would solve everything, once he was gone the memories would stop all he had to do was pull the trigger.

_BOOM!_ Was the sound as the rifle fired, the bullet whizzed through the air towards the head of its target. Null expected brain matter and chunks of skull to be flung into the air, but instead he got splinters of wood as the bullet struck the wooden deck.

He missed? That was impossible he never missed, not when the objective was so close and he had a clear shot.

"Nice job, Soph, another inch or two and Jaqueris would've had an even cleaner cut." Said a cocky voice

Null turned around to see a Venezuelan girl and an American boy floating in the air, the boy was surrounded in the same color as his gun while the girl was suspended by an invisible force.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris' heart was thumping from the missed gunshot. He'd never considered that Capelli would hire a sniper to kill him from afar, he was just lucky that he was a bad shot. He looked in the direction of where he heard the gun fire from and saw Sophia and Julian floating in the air by someone who looked to be around their own age.<p>

Seeing as those two had that situation handled he turned to his own.

Capelli quickly saw that something was amiss when Null failed to hit his mark and the appearance of those two mutant teenagers.

"Open fire, you fools!" he ordered his guards

They all began to produce weapons Mac-10's, Uzi's, fully automatic pistols and they all were trained on Jaqueris. He prepared a shield which he hoped could block all that gun fire.

"Shoot him!" commanded Capelli

The guards were about to do just that before they all began tearing up and sobbing. They bega, to one by one, blubber and drop their guns to the floor as they fell with them sniffling on the ground. The only ones that did not seem affected were Toro and Capelli. Luckily no one saw Laurie Collins as she focused on making the men cry their eyes out.

Jaqueris seeing that there was virtually nothing standing between him and Capelli he ignited a bolt in his hands as the unmistakable image of rage filled his face.

"**CAPELLI!" **he yelled

Seeing as they were at a disadvantage Toro and his boss made their way towards the nearby limousine.

* * *

><p>Null stood facing the two mutants, defiantly chewing on his toothpick. If he had to pick a guess on their powers the boy seemed to possess TK and based on his earlier statement the girl was an aerokinetic.<p>

"So are you going to give up or do we have to smack you around a little?" said the boy arrogantly

Amazing he'd only known him for the complete span of 5 seconds and he already disliked his haughty attitude.

"Shut up Julian." She said smacking the boy on the head quieting him "Just give us your weapon and we promise not to harm you." Said the girl

Null lowered his head to hide his laugh; these two actually thought they had him beat. "Okay, since you asked so nicely."

He then tossed the gun towards them. While in the air a purple light covered the gun, compressing it into a much smaller and cylindrical shape. The purple energy blew away to reveal a grenade. Null was already in the air diving towards the water when he had thrown the rifle towards them.

"Sophie, watch out!" alerted Julian as he put up a TK shield to protect them against the ensuing blast

* * *

><p>Toro and Capelli landed in the car roughly as Toro slammed the door behind them.<p>

"Terrence, step on it, now!" demanded Toro

The normally silent driver then turned around to show that he wasn't the driver at all, but a 17 year old black boy with glasses.

"Sorry, I can't do that, I think my friend wants to have a meeting with you." He said smiling

Toro pulled out his favorite Beretta to shoot the boy, but stopped when the door beside them was yanked open. Toro was pulled forcefully from the vehicle along with his gun.

"I think that's my time to go." Said the boy as he got out of the front door.

When he left the doors slammed shut and they locked themselves from the inside. Capelli tried in vain to pry them open.

Outside the car Toro was on the ground and opened his eyes to find Jaqueris standing over him and looking down. He pointed his gun towards Jaqueris' face, but never got the chance to fire as it was drawn from his hand into Jaqueris'. He then used his free hand to release a torrent of voltage that burned its way through Toro's body.

The veteran sentinel didn't scream, he would never give the boy the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. Though he didn't really have to worry about that as he fell unconscious shortly after the bolts made contact.

Jaqueris was joined by Julian and Sophia who flew over to him while Laurie ran out of the woods. The last person really surprised him.

"You came back." He said to him as he approached

He looked at Jaqueris with a studious expression before saying, "Yeah, well I figured you might get yourself in a situation like this so…"

Jaqueris didn't need him to finish as he already knew what his friend meant, "Thank you. All of you."

"No problem." Said Sophia

"Just happy to help." Added Laurie

"I just came cause Sophia asked me. Other than that I could care less about your little gang war." Said Julian putting his hands behind his head

Jaqueris ignored Julian's comment and turned to David. He held up the butt of the gun to him, signifying he wanted him to take it. "The angel on my shoulder, right?" he said

David smiled and gently took the gun from him. Jaqueris then made his way to the car Capelli was still trapped in. Now it was really time to end this once and for all.

He opened to door to find Capelli sitting calmly on the far side of the seat. He sat down and locked the door.

For a long time they just stared at each other in the eye, each daring the other to blink to show that they were afraid or at least surprised by this turn of events.

"Well this is an interesting turn of events isn't it?" said Capelli as he went into his pocket to receive a lighter and another cigar. He placed it in his mouth and lit it.

Jaqueris had to give him props, despite the fact that he was obviously beaten he still managed to save face and keep up a façade of serenity. Maybe he had another card to play or maybe, and Jaqueris thought this more likely, he had just resigned to his fate.

"You don't know how many times I've imagined this moment." Jaqueris began as Capelli blew smoke out of the open roof window.

"Every moment of everyday, I dreamed of how I would pay you back. Fry your brain, boil your blood, or my personal favorite crush you like a pancake." He said

Capelli smiled as some more smoke escaped his lips, "That's a sick imagination you've got, kid. I could put that to some use."

Jaqueris expressed amusement at this even after all this time Capelli still believed that he would just drop everything and come work for him after everything that's happened. Either that or he was stalling for time until he could find a way out of this.

"You know, you were right." Capelli looked at him wryly at this "We do both know how to keep pushing to get what we want, no matter the odds. We don't take no for an answer."

Capelli smirked as he felt the kid finally understood what he was talking about and was about to extend his hand in partnership.

"But that's where our similarities end." Capelli's smile vanished and he began to cough from swallowing some smoke, "You don't know how to finish a job." Capelli felt a pang of fear well up inside him as Jaqueris' features suddenly became more menacing as his eyes began to glow a red color.

"Where as I am intimately familiar with the proper procedure." He said his eyes now shining blood red

Capelli's screams echoed throughout the air.

"Oh shit! Jaqueris!" yelled David as he ran to the car

As he approached he hoped his comrade hadn't done anything reckless. As they all came closer to the vehicle the smell of burning flesh penetrated their noses. David cautiously moved his hand towards the door, but stopped when it opened itself.

Jaqueris stepped out looking as normal as ever. He looked at the group, but said nothing and walked past them towards the boat holding his family. David looked inside the car and his eyes widened in shock.

"Jaqueris, oh my god." Said Sophia

"Dude." Chimed in Julian

Laurie only fainted at what was once Joseph Capelli.

* * *

><p>OMFG, it's 2:37 in the morning and I just got finished typing 19 pages of work. For those of you that don't know that's more than 8,000 words. I really hope you all appreciate the work I put into this chapter I felt it ended things off really good. So tell me what you think since this was my first major arc I really need some feedback so please review.<p> 


	14. Back to School

**Back To School**

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was walking behind the other Xavier students; he was doing this because he didn't quite like the aura that was irradiating off of them. There was fear, disappointment, but mostly fear. He couldn't exactly pinpoint who was afraid, but he knew David was disappointed. The others were more difficult to read.<p>

Laurie was obviously wary of him, Sophia seemed to be also, but her apprehension was also mixed in with pity and Julian, well he didn't seem to care one way or another. They had decided to walk back to the institute through a place they called, "Mutant Town". It was supposedly a hub for mutant activity as well as a place where decadence ran rampant.

Most of the trip was made in awkward silence, Julian attempted to ease it, by making crude comments and remarks, but even he gave up after a while of no one laughing or putting in an effort to respond. Personally Jaqueris was a bit angry, after all what right did they have to judge him for what he did. They had not lost their family right before their eyes while the man responsible ran free.

He stopped walking and stared at them with serious eyes. When they heard the sound of his footsteps cease they turned around to see what had happened.

"Okay, let's nip this in the bud right now. I want you all to say what you have to say and don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about." He announced

All of their bodies tensed up as the sensitive topic was brought into the air. No one really knew how to go about expressing their feelings concerning Jaqueris' actions.

"Why'd you do it?" asked David

Jaqueris wasn't going to insult his intelligence by asking him to explain what he meant but he would've though his reasoning would've been obvious.

"The man killed my family, what did you expect me to do? Call the authorities, he probably had them on his payroll." He answered

"You could've found another way." David returned

Jaqueris shook his head. They just did not understand which was strange because it was so simple. He had the power to pass judgement on someone who had wronged him. What person in their sane mind would pass that opportunity up?

"Okay, as much as I hate to agree with David and I **really **hate to. He's right you could've found another way, X-men don't kill!" Interjected Julian

Jaqueris looked at him like he had grown an extra head, "I'm not an X-man, I'm just a kid that just so happens to be able to take out a whole city block if he gets pissed enough!"

"Okay! That's enough, all three of you!" said Sophia

The three argumentative boys looked at her show of bravado and were effectively silenced for the moment. "Look, Jaqueris, you're right none of us can understand how you feel about your family's death. I know wouldn't respond well to it." At this Jaqueris thought he had won her over to his way of thinking

"That being said, are you sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that what you did…was the right choice?" she asked

Jaqueris didn't even have to think about his response. "Yes. In fact if I had to I'd do it again."

Everyone went silent at his reply. Julian sucked his teeth in a disapproving manner, while Laurie had a sad look on her face; both Sophia and David had blank expressions.

"Well, there you have it. Whatever's done is done, we can't change the past." She said

Silence struck the group once again as everyone was deciding on what to say next. It wasn't until David spoke up that it finally ended.

"I have one last question." Jaqueris looked at him as he began "What would your parent's think?"

Everyone looked at Jaqueris as the question hit him with force.

This one question seemed to put Jaqueris' certainty that his actions were justified into question in his own mind. He had never actually thought about what his parents would think of him avenging their death with such vigor. The more he thought about this, the more he felt that would not approve of his methods, but he couldn't let the others know this.

"My parents can't feel anything because they're dead." He answered

David sighed at his answer.

"Whatever." Said Julian as he began to walk away from the group "Side with the maniac if you want to." He turned to face them while walking backwards making him oblivious to the person walking hastily behind him "Me? I'm watching my back every second he's in the same room with me."

The person bump roughly into him and didn't even utter an apology as she continued on pace. "Hey, watch where you're going you bum!" he called after her

She didn't answer and kept walking straight as if the others were not there. Everyone moved out of her way to avoid a collision. As the stranger approached Jaqueris he noticed she had black hair that was messy and tangled in short she was a complete mess like she'd lived her whole life on the streets.

The closer she got the more a strange feeling began to swell in him. It was a similar feeling he got when he summoned electricity but this time it was involuntary. When she was right beside him, his hand began to ignite with blue energy and arced towards the girl's arm running up to her shoulder.

For a minute Jaqueris thought he had electrocuted her by accident, but she showed no sign of injury besides reacting with shock. As he stared into her coffee eyes he saw someone who was tired and begging to be helped.

"Who…" Jaqueris didn't finish as the girl began to speedily walk away again obviously not wanting conversation, "Wait!" Jaqueris called after her as she rounded a corner

When he came around he expected to find her on a straight path, but wasn't so lucky. The girl had disappeared. He stared in the direction she had been on and considered running after her, but felt it would've been in vain. He turned back to join his fellow students.

* * *

><p>It was the end of the school day once they had arrived back at the institute. People were stretched out around the lawn talking and goofing off. Julian muttered something about not wanting to catch their loser sickness and told Sophia to come along as he left.<p>

She countered that she wasn't a dog but followed nonetheless. This left Laurie, David, and Jaqueris who all stood discomfited together.

"Um…Jaqueris would you like to eat dinner with us?" she asked shyly

Jaqueris was surprised that she had to courage to invite him given that her reaction was the most extreme after they saw what he did to Capelli.

"Sure." He said blandly

Laurie nodded and issued a meek goodbye before walking away. David said nothing the entire time and made his leave, leaving Jaqueris by himself. He sighed before deciding to head to his room to unpack his things.

He turned to prepared to fly to his room but was stopped from moving when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. "Jaqueris, you're back!"

Her soft skin felt good around his collar and the smell of her pink hair was very sweet.

"Megan." He said as he put his hands on her waist and softly put her to the ground. He was much taller than her making her look like a small child as he held her waist with her arms still around his neck.

"So did you miss me?" she asked happily

"Did you miss me?" he countered

She let go of her grip and began to float in the air, "I don't know. Tell me some good stories about your time away and I'll decide." She joked

Jaqueris let a smile slip. He really appreciated the fact that she had managed to make him smile despite how he was feeling at the moment. Deciding to reward her he began to rise into the air with her. Her face read alarm as she saw him lift from the ground.

"Since when can you fly?" she asked

He maneuvered around her making her spin to keep track of him. "I'll tell you if you manage to catch me." He said before flying away

"No fair!" she called after him

He flew around the school a few times moving fast enough to maintain distance, but slow enough so that she was a reasonable distance from him.

"Come on Megan, I'm new to this and I've got you beat by about a mile." He teased

The girl cutely narrowed her eyes and sped up to catch him. Jaqueris made this easier by stopping in mid air and waiting for her to approach. He waited for her to get at least 3 feet away before he ascended swiftly into the clouds causing her to zip right by where he once was.

He flew higher and higher straight into the sky. The gravity defying mutant rose until he was surrounded by white fluffy clouds. This would be the perfect place to do what he had in mind.

Pixie arrived in the area she had seen Jaqueris disappear into however he wasn't anywhere in sight. For a minute she wondered if he had simply given her the slip once again or was hiding.

She got her answer when Jaqueris appeared from a cloud that was right in front of her and planted a kiss right on her lips. She jumped back from his abrupt appearance rather than the contact, a blush across her cheeks.

"Wow, am I that bad of a kisser?" he said leaving the cloud completely

"If I said "No" would you do it again?" she asked mischievously

He neared her slowly and looked at her yearningly in the eyes, "If you said "Yes" I'd do it to prove you wrong."

She closed the distance between him until her small breasts bumped into his chest. She put her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer as Jaqueris leaned in to kiss her. They floated in the air kissing encircled by the clouds.

After their personal make out session the two decided to stay afloat by utilizing an interesting aspect of Jaqueris' powers. They were lying on a cloud that would under normal circumstances be unable to hold their weight. Due to his gravitokinesis Jaqueris had the ability to not only cause objects to lose their rigidity and become soft and squishy he had the opposite ability and could cause things to become dense and hard.

Pixie was lying above Jaqueris with the top of their heads touching and Megan's hair falling on the sides of his face.

"You never told me what you did while you were away." She asked suddenly

Jaqueris grunted when her question brought up the memories of his time back home. He didn't want to revisit them so soon and wasn't planning to tell her specifics about what had occurred.

"Don't ruin our time together by asking questions." He said sternly

Megan rolled over to face him; she put her face above his and looked down at his straight expression. She had a pleading look adorned on her face which very briefly made him want to talk to her about his problem.

"Would you tell Laura?" she asked with a frown

Jaqueris should've known this would come up again. He considered himself lucky after she neglected to question him about exactly what he and Laura were doing when she caught them together in their…his spot.

Jaqueris nullified his ability around his personal area allowing him to fall through the cloud. Pixie poked her head through the human shaped hole he left behind. Jaqueris resurfaced behind her and stood up. He poked her in the butt with his foot to direct her attention from the hole to him again.

She turned to face him but didn't stand up and just sat down, "Well?" she said

Jaqueris turned sideways as he crossed his arms, "How did Laura come into this conversation?"

Megan's scowl deepened at his attempt to avoid the question when all she wanted was a straight answer.

"Do you find her attractive?" she asked

Jaqueris knew a loaded question when he heard one and by god if what she just asked wasn't the perfect example. He would have to tread carefully or risk upsetting Megan even more.

"I thought you wanted to talk about my trip back home?" he said

It was Megan's turn to fold her arms in a huff. She could see that she wasn't going to get a direct answer from him.

"Fine. What happened?" she asked bitterly

Jaqueris inwardly smiled at his success at diverging focus away from the "Laura topic". Truth be told he wasn't quite sure himself what their relationship was. Yes, they had almost kissed before but did he really feel anything for her? He hadn't known her long enough to develop anything meaningful so the logical answer would've been "No" but things weren't that simple.

He looked at Megan, she was growing impatient and if he didn't want to suffer from more whining he would have to say something soon.

"If you must know I went to see my parents. At the cementary."

Megan's features instantaneously softened something Jaqueris was grateful for, showing he did not have to worry about discussing Laura again anytime soon.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…I mean I didn't know that your parents were…" she apologized as she sat up

"Don't worry about it. The bastard who killed them got what he deserved." He said with a show of anger in his voice.

Megan put her hand on his cheek, "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked

Jaqueris placed his own hand over hers and considered her offer. He still was not sorry over what he did to Capelli, but he felt a certain weight on his chest since then. It also wasn't one of those things you could just ignore and hope it would pass.

"I'm fine, but thanks." He said

She removed her hand and looked at him with imploring gaze, "Well, if you won't tell me anything you should talk to the Professooor. Ah man!" she said slapping her forehead

Jaqueris looked confused at her self-abuse as a small red mark appeared where her hand had been.

"I totally forgot, the Professor wants to see you!" she said

Jaqueris sighed at her absent mindedness before remembering that was part of the reason he liked her.

"Remind me to never trust you with important info." He said

* * *

><p>Back at the institute Megan and Jaqueris separating agreeing to meet up later. Jaqueris entered Xavier's office to find the man looking over some documents. He looked up at the boy once he had entered.<p>

"Jaqueris, it's good to have you rejoin us." He said cordially

"Thanks, didn't know I was missed." He answered

Xavier cupped his hands and placed them under his chin. "I assure you the absence of any student is something I and the staff do not overlook. Now I have urgent matters with you to discuss."

"_Great." Jaqueris thought _

Xavier stopped for a moment as if hearing something before resuming going over some papers. He found what he was looking for and turned back to Jaqueris.

"Yes, it seems you've fallen a little behind in your classes, but that is to be expected. Also you should know that you've been given a new roommate, his name is Victor Borkowski, and perhaps you know him?"

Jaqueris remembered the reptilian boy from his self defense classes. When they first met he struck him as shy, but after a while he became more comfortable and it became easier for him to talk.

"Yes. I do."

"Splendid, finally Logan has informed me of your progress with your mutant abilities. I feel it's time for you to move on to the next step in your training. There is a teacher here who can greatly assist in the development of your powers. His name is Xorn."

Jaqueris took notice of the foreign sounding name and if he had to guess it seemed to be of Asian descent. He wondered who the teacher was as he had seen quite a few but none of them seemed to be type that could assist him with his powers.

"Professor, can I ask you something?" Jaqueris asked

"Of course." He answered

"What can you tell me about Magneto?"

Charles stiffened for a moment at the name. It was clear that the name had powerful emotions attached to it based on his reaction.

"Erik was a good friend of mine, but our views on Mutant-Human relations differed. Eventually those differences became too dissimilar causing a rift in our relationship both literally and figuratively. I preached peace and acceptance, but Magneto opted for segregation and mutant supremacy."

Jaqueris could see the inner conflict going on within the Professor as he explained the complex affiliation between himself and Magneto. This only increased his curiosity of the dynamic between the two men.

"We came into conflict many times over the years, but in the back of my mind I always believed that I would one day be able to make my old friend see the error of his ways the detrimental effect his actions had on mutant kind." Xavier closed his eyes after saying this and looked to be gathering himself mentally

"I noticed you referred to him in the past tense, is he…" Jaqueris began but stopped once he saw the sorrowful look on the headmaster's face

"Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, "You live by the sword, you die by it." He said cryptically

Jaqueris required no further elaboration on the meaning of these words. He clearly meant Magneto was no longer among the living. Also at his uttering of the classical quote, Jaqueris began to wonder if it applied to him as well.

"I want to get your opinion on something else, Professor."

He nodded his head indicating he wanted him to continue.

"What do you feel about the concept of…revenge?" he asked finally

Xavier lowered his hands onto the desk and looked at Jaqueris with inquiry, no doubt wondering why he asked such a question. This combined with the fact he had asked about Magneto probably made him a minor more suspicious.

"Vengeance, Jaqueris, never ends well. It is like a cancer that spreads quickly and consumes the one holding it in his heart until he becomes nothing more than misguided and mal-intentioned shell of his former shelf."

Jaqueris listened to him and tried to find similarities between his description and Jaqueris' own feelings. He definitely had "mal-intentions" for Capelli, but "misguided" didn't seem to fit, in fact he was extremely mindful of what he was doing and the possibilities it would bring.

Just when the Professor had finished his discussion with Jaqueris the door opened behind them. Jaqueris turned and almost fell out of his chair at mutant walking through. It wasn't that he was especially grotesque or deformed, but all attention would immediately be placed on the metal skull-like helmet that completely encased his cranium.

It had blue glowing eyes and the mouth was almost molded into a twisted smile, which unnerved Jaqueris a little. He speculated on the need for such a contraption to be placed around someone's head.

"Professor Xorn, glad you could join us. I'd like you to meet the boy you will be training." Xavier said motioning towards Jaqueris

Xorn looked at him with a piercing gaze; he seemed to be studying him. Jaqueris slightly retracted from his cataloguing look and was grateful when he finally broke it to speak.

"Yes, it is very nice to meet you. I expect we will make great progress together." He said extending his hand

Jaqueris noticed that despite his somewhat menacing appearance he spoke warmly. Taking his hand he found that his touch was concurrent with his speech in contrast to the coldness that Jaqueris assumed he would have.

"I hope so." Jaqueris said

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was now walking to the gym. After Xorn had told him to stop by his class tomorrow morning since it was the weekend, Xavier had told him to stop by the gym before dinner because he wanted him to have a meditation session with Logan.<p>

He groaned at the idea, he was starting to hate meditation. He could never calm himself enough that his mind went blank. Peripheral thoughts always managed to find their way into his mind causing him to get frustrated which only made the meditation process all the more difficult.

He entered to find no one inside, "Hello! Mr. Logan, I'm here for my meditation session!" he called to no answer

Feeling stood up he began to leave, but stopped when he heard sounds coming from the girls locker room. Out stepped Laura who was securing the belt around her gi. When she spotted him she stopped and stared.

Jaqueris did the same, but for a different reason. He remembered the minor argument he had with Megan about him and Laura's liaison.

"Hi." He said cautiously

"Hello, Jaqueris." She said walking towards him "You should get dressed."

"Right." He said tersely

Five minutes later Jaqueris was clad in his training gi and sat down cross-legged in front of the similarly positioned Laura.

"Where's Logan?" he asked

"He is away at the moment and asked me to oversee your personal self defense training until he returns." She said

Jaqueris nodded as they began

As expected Jaqueris found it difficult to concentrate and kept opening his eyes. Each time he found Laura with her eyes closed making it seem like meditation was the easiest thing in the world.

Her apparent ease at something he was struggling with made him frustrated and he grunted in exasperation. Laura opened her eyes at the sound of his agitation.

"What is the problem?" she asked

Jaqueris rubbed his head in agitation, "I don't get why this is so hard."

Laura rose up and walked behind Jaqueris. He remembered how Logan had done this before and tried to strike him from behind.

"Do me a favor and don't hit me, okay?" he said

"I will not. Try it again." She said

Jaqueris resumed his stance and lowered his eyelids. For the first few seconds his body was tense as he was expecting a strike on his head. This never occurred however as he got a rather surprising alternative.

He felt Laura's hands grab his shoulders gently and begin to massage them.

"Uh, Laura what are you doing?" he asked his eyes still closed

"Soothing." She answered

"I know that, but why is what I'm asking."

"It is because you are tense." She said

Laura moved her hands a certain way which caused Jaqueris' shoulders to slump in relief. She was actually pretty good at this; he found that he was able to relax more easily and that his mind was drifting off.

When he had all but completely succumbed to this numbing effect, he began to "see" things differently. It was similar to the first time he meditated with Logan, a mixture of colors representing the rays of electromagnetism. There was a difference this time though, at first all he could sense was inside the gym area, but now he could feel through the entire school.

He saw or rather felt people walking, talking, or simply breathing made possible by the electrical signals they were transmitting as they did these actions. He could also see the iron in their blood as it flowed through their veins, and he even noticed Laura behind him.

Observing her he saw that her heart was beating faster than normal as if she were exercising or excited? He let that thought float in his head before opening his eyes and standing up.

"Um…I think that's enough." He said getting up

Laura looked at him blandly, but said nothing to object. "If that is what you wish." She said and Jaqueris noticed the smallest microexpression he had ever witnessed when the corner of Laura's mouth drooped for less than an instant.

"I…should go. It's almost time for dinner and I promised Laurie and the others I'd eat with them." He said heading toward the male bathroom

While he was changing he admonished himself. He was a glutton for punishment, obviously something was going on with Laura and he only encouraged it by letting her massage his neck and shoulders. If he didn't stop this, he knew the situation would not end favorably for him.

"_Hell hath no fury_." He thought

After he finished getting dressed he was going to say goodbye to Laura but saw that she was already gone. He actually was a bit grateful for being spared a undoubtedly awkward exchange between the two.

* * *

><p>Later Jaqueris had a tray in the lunch room and was deciding on what to eat. He finally decided on a turkey burger, an apple, some juice and yogurt. Studying the lunch room he took in the sheer size of it, it rivaled or more likely surpassed the size of his cafeteria at his human school.<p>

"Jaqueris!" called a recognizable voice

Jaqueris turned to find Sophia waving her hand and smiling. Walking towards her he felt a little nervous as he met the gaze of David. He sat down as the tension hit them.

No one said anything at first which made the situation all the more uncomfortable. Jaqueris was beginning to regret taking up Laurie's offer.

"So Jaqueris have you decided on an advisor?" asked Laurie

Happy to get some conversation going Jaqueris almost answered too fast, "What do you mean?"

"Oh yeah, you weren't here when the Professor started the system. Every student gets to pick an advisor who they can talk to about their problems and other things like that." Said Sophia

Jaqueris absorbed this for a moment, he wasn't sure if he actually needed an advisor.

"You should pick Danielle." Said David

The three of them stopped their chat to look at David. No one had really expected him to try and reconcile with Jaqueris so soon after the argument the two had earlier, especially not Jaqueris.

"I mean we all did, and she did recruit you to the school in the first place." He continued

Jaqueris nodded, "That sounds plausible, why not? So who…" he stopped when he saw a certain someone pass by him.

He had his hair in that same Ozzy Osbourne fashion, **Josh Foley.** Zapping the boy then beating him to a pulp was Jaqueris' first thought, but his meditation must've had more of an effect than he thought because he didn't carry through.

"What's he doing here?" he asked bitterly

The three turned their attention to the boy in question.

"Who Josh? He goes here now." Said Laurie with the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks

"Yeah, he showed up at the gates about two days ago. He said he was beat up by his Reaver friends and his parents wouldn't let him in the house." Inserted Sophia

Jaqueris let a smirk show through on his face as he thought, _"Good for him"_

"But the worst part is that…he's my roommate." Said David putting his hand on his head in annoyance

Jaqueris snickered at this prompting David to hit him on the shoulder, "Not funny man."

"I beg to…" he was stopped as he felt a great weight bear down on his head almost forcing his head into his food.

"Santo! What's the big deal!" said Sophia

The craggily student let out a rough laugh, "What? I'm just making sure the little psycho gets his proper nutrition."

Jaqueris pushed his hand off his head with all his force and stood up from the table to face the boy, "What'd you call me?"

David stood up as well to calm his friend, "Jaqueris don't waste your time with this guy."

"Yeah, Santo's just a bully." Concurred Laurie

Neither of them seemed to hear their peers outcries as they continued staring each other in the eyes.

"You hear me, psycho. Julian told me about your little adventures in the Big Apple." He said

Jaqueris growled at the name, he wouldn't put it past the boy to tell others business but it was still crossing the line in any case.

"He did what!" this time it was Sophia's time to stand up

"Yeah, he told us all about how he fried some gangster like….well fries." He said dumbly

"Us?" asked Laurie

Santo folded his arms and nodded as another smile crept across his face, "Duh, me, Cessily, Brian, oh and the new kid Foley." He said pointing his thumb in their direction

Jaqueris didn't need to hear anymore, he went around Santo and headed towards the table that Julian was sitting in with his group of friends.

"Keller!" Jaqueris yelled

The boy looked at him snootily before his eyes widened as he was sent tumbling out of his seat by an unseen force. Julian hastily recovered from this and looked at Jaqueris who still had his arm outstretched.

"Oh no." said David

"Fight!" yelled Santo and immediately everyone's attention inside the cafeteria was focused on the two warring mutant powered teenagers

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life." Said Julian as his eyes and body began to glow a green aura.

Julian sent his own telekinetic push towards Jaqueris and because he didn't gesture with his hands the boy wasn't prepared and was sent flying through the air. He hit the ground hard, but Julian wasn't done yet. He grabbed him with his telekinesis and flung him into a nearby table.

Food was scattered about as he landed and became encrusted on his shirt. Julian flung him again this time sliding him across a table which also had food on it.

Jaqueris groaned in pain, he'd never been treated like a rag doll before but he already disliked the feeling. He felt his body being tugged to the end of the table towards Julian who had his hand raised.

Thinking quickly Jaqueris took control of the electrical impulses in his arm and made Keller punch himself hard in the gut. He bent over as the wind was knocked out of him.

Jaqueris jumped from the table and ran at his nemesis. Grabbing his head he delivered a knee to the face that managed to draw blood. "You should learn to keep your freakin' mouth shut!" he told him before he gave Julian a hard punch to the jaw that made him stagger.

Seeing his opportunity Jaqueris flew at him intending to tackle him, but Julian recovered faster than he expected and pushed his hand forward to send out another shockwave. Acting on instinct Jaqueris countered with his own gravitational push forward.

As the two forces met nothing happened, but the two boys kept their hands raised as each struggled to push back the others attack. Their tests of strength came to a head when both were blown in the opposite direction very violently with Julian actually hitting a few spins.

Hitting the ground with tremendous force the boys rose gingerly and slowly to their feet. A crowd of jeering adolescents had already gathered around them to instigate the fight. Looking at each other from their respective positions, both let out a yell before rising into the air.

They were heading straight at one another, on a collision course, but their crash never happened as they both were halted in mid-air.

Jaqueris thought this was Julian's doing but saw that he had a confused look as well and seemed to be suspended against his will. He looked down and saw that everyone was looking in one direction.

"That is enough." Said a woman with fiery red hair with authority

* * *

><p>While I still don't understand why these chapters are always so long. Ah well more content for you guys and plus I like writing. So please review this chap and continue checking back regularly for updates.<p> 


	15. Detention

**Detention**

* * *

><p>Sparks shot into the air as Jaqueris' energy blades and Laura's adamantium laced claw clashed together in a dead lock. Jaqueris noted that despite her sex, she was very strong, so much in fact that if he took her lightly she could easily topple him. He exerted enough force to drive her back a few feet and give himself some space.<p>

He ran at her and jumped into the air to deliver two vertical slices, but she easily sidestepped his attack. He sent a horizontal slice towards her face which she ducked under and retaliated by executing a sweeping kick knocking Jaqueris to his back. Before he could rise she placed her foot on his chest near his neck and unsheathed her foot claw.

Jaqueris stared at the blade and let out a sigh, "So what is that? 17-0?" he asked

"18." She said in a matter of fact as she let him up

Laura sat down in front of him while he sat up. He stared at her and began to smile; she looked away like a small child with a light blush on her face.

"What is the problem?" she said

"Nothing." Jaqueris said laughing lightly to himself, "So how badly did I do today?"

Laura looked back at him and brushed some hair out of the way, "Your performance was mediocre." She said flatly

Jaqueris could tell by her tone and body language that it wasn't meant as an insult or to be taken as derogatory, but to be taken as a simple fact. He found Laura's complete honesty entertaining and bracing because he was so used to people saying one thing and thinking another. Still it was the perfect opportunity to tease her.

"Thanks, Laura. With your encouragement I'm sure I'll improve." He said sarcastically

The girl didn't seem to understand his sarcasm. She did not recall saying anything that she thought would hearten him, but he seemed to think so and was smiling so she did not say anything.

"So what exactly do I need to work on?" he asked

"Everything." She answered

Jaqueris fell back laughing at her reply; it was made all the more funny because she was so serious with her evaluation. Laura stared at him as he chuckled, she could not remember ever laughing herself so she was not sure what caused humor, but she did not think she said anything funny. Due to her abusive upbringing her mind began to jump to the conclusion that he was laughing at her and she began to leave.

Calming himself down he got serious at seeing Laura leave unannounced. Cleverly putting two and two together he grabbed her arm softly.

"Wait, Laura, I wasn't laughing at you." She turned to face him with a blank expression "It's just that I'm not used to people telling me the truth **all the time**."

"You are more accustomed to lies?" she questioned

"Well, yeah, but don't do that. I actually like that you tell the truth, though you might want to curb your bluntness around others." He advised

"Why?" she wondered

"Many people, the vast majority, in fact hate the truth. So if a person comes along that always tells exactly what they see then there are going to be problems."

Laura did not understand what he was trying to say. From her perspective deceit was infinitely more painful than honesty she had seen it cause multiple deaths and had even witnessed it place her cousin in danger. However Jaqueris seemed to have an intimate knowledge of things of this nature so she listened.

"Perhaps, I can try "curbing" my analysis of others." She said

Jaqueris wasn't sure if she actually got what he was saying but he couldn't really explain it better than he had anyway. Besides maybe it was better if she learned through experience rather than being told in words.

"So, let's see if I can correct my mistakes." He said as he backed away from Laura "No blades or claws this time, though. I'd rather not get blood on the gi."

Laura nodded in agreement as she lowered into her stance. Jaqueris did the same and prepared himself for the barrage that was sure to follow.

"Alright, let's go!" he called

No sooner had he said these words did Laura lunged forward at him with lightning quick speed. This time however Jaqueris was not a total sitting duck. When Laura threw a hard cross, he managed to grab her arm and spin throwing her into the wall.

Pinning her arms against the wall, he pressed his body near hers. "I could've sworn I told you I was a fast learner."

Laura looked into his eyes transfixing Jaqueris in them, "Yes, you did."

He didn't know how long they stared into one another's eyes, but he soon found himself moving his face closer to hers. His mind was yelling at him to stop, but his hormones were compelling him to do otherwise. After all Laura was a very attractive girl and for some reason he was just drawn to her. Add in the fact that she had been dropping subtle hints his way and was not offering any resistance at the moment; one couldn't blame him in feeling justified in continuing.

He was so close now that Laura could feel his warm breath on her. It made her shudder a little. She had felt "something" for the boy, but as she was inexperienced in these sorts of things she wasn't sure in how to go about informing him of and just played it safe around him.

Despite this her actions seemed to be enough as it had lead to the current situation. As he neared her she could feel her heart rate increase. When he finally kissed her it was soft and pleasant unlike the lustful mouthfuls her clients gave her when she was a prostitute. She returned it as best she could and it must have been sufficient because he did not stop.

However when he did she worried that she may have done something wrong. Pulling away he looked down in shame.

"I've got to go." He said before quickly walking away

Laura was not one to be easily frustrated but for some reason she was now.

"Why?" she asked

Jaqueris sighed as he shook his head, "Because we shouldn't."

Laura clinched her fist as she said, "You do not like me?" she asked

"No, I mean yes I do but it's just…it's just complicated is all. I need time to think." He said before turning to leave

Laura just stared at him as a whirlwind of confusion spun in her head.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was later walking through the hallway thinking about how much of an idiot he was. His better judgment told him not to kiss her but he ignored it in lieu of what his libido wanted. He wanted to curse out loud, but held it in.<p>

He wasn't lying when he told Laura that he wanted to be alone to think, but the reality was he wouldn't be able to do that because he had a training session with Xorn now before he had to spend the rest of the time in detention with Keller. Thinking of the obnoxious boy made him scowl in disgust as he remembered how his sentence had been served.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was a mess with food caked into his clothing and a cut running across his cheek. His counterpart looked similar, with a bloody nose and messy clothes as well as a black eye. Julian looked at Jaqueris with hatred in his eyes which Jaqueris reciprocated.<p>

Standing behind them was the red haired woman known as Jean Grey; Jaqueris knew her as a teacher here, but not what subject. He also knew she was a telekinetic after she had effortlessly decided that the fight between him and Julian was finished.

They were now in the office of the Professor awaiting their punishment. Emma Frost and Scott Summers, two more teachers at the school, stood behind him.

"It goes without saying that violence at the school is strictly prohibited." Said the Professor

"Maybe you should say it to this…this" Julian began holding his head up in the air to stop the bleeding

"_I swear if he drops the N-bomb I'm going to give him cancer." _Jaqueris thought

"Neanderthal!" he finished

The lady in white named Emma smiled at the boy's insult and he could already tell she favored him.

"Julian, we don't talk about fellow students like that." Said Summers

Xavier intervened at this moment, "That's alright, Scott, Mr. Keller will learn how to mind his tongue."

"Why do I get punished? It was this joker who attacked me for no reason!" he argued

The Professor turned his attention to the woman standing behind them both, "Jean?"

The woman looked at the two children before she formed a judgment of her own, "I just saw two students fighting, with powers, in the cafeteria." She said unbiasly

Jaqueris mentally sighed; he wished they would hurry up and give him his sentence already. He already knew he was in the wrong for attacking Julian, at least in the teacher's eyes, so they could hurry up and punish him already.

"Come on, really?" He then looked at the woman clad in white, "Read his mind Ms. Frost!" begged Julian

"I already have" when she said this the three adults eyes turned to her and Jaqueris because he didn't like the idea of having his mind pried into without his permission. "But this one seems to like his privacy I didn't get very far."

"Emma!" cried Jean

The woman put on a facetious smirk that made Jaqueris decide he did not like her and not only because she had entered his mind without his permission, but also because there was something off putting about her.

"Emma, we do not disregard the privacy of our students by entering their minds at a whim." Reprimanded Xavier firmly

"Understood, Charles." She said but Jaqueris had a hard time believing her and apparently so did the man in the red shades because he shook his head

Xavier then assumed his usual position of confidence and looked at the boys with a hard stare, "Now then, there still is the matter of your punishments. You will both be given detention until further notice effective immediately including weekends." He said pointing his finger showing that he would accept no arguements

Julian would've face faulted if this was an anime while Jaqueris accepted his punishment in silence. The bloodied boy looked at his adversary before saying bluntly, "I hate you."

"Good to know." Jaqueris said

* * *

><p>Jaqueris stood outside the classroom of Professor Xorn and knocked on the door. He was answered with a tepid reply of, "Come in."<p>

Jaqueris obliged and opened the door to see a face that made him cringe. It was Quentin Quire and he was working on some sort of contraption for a…brain of all things. It looked like a chained dog leash located at the base of the dome holding the brain.

"All right that should do it for you, Martha." Quire said

When he said this the dome lifted into the air suspended by an unseen force.

"You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me." Turning to leave though Jaqueris couldn't recall anyone saying anything

Just as he passed him Quentin shot him a look of acquaintance before walking out of the door. Jaqueris felt his stomach lurch as the boy left the room and was secretly glad to be out of his presence. Ever since he had supplied him with the drug Kick he knew the boy was bad news and would try to avoid him if possible.

"Jaqueris, I'm glad you could make it. I heard about your and Mr. Keller's skirmish last night, but at least Charles has allowed you to attend our sessions together." He said happily

"Yeah, lucky me." Said Jaqueris unhappily

Xorn wasn't oblivious to his sober mood, "My boy, don't be so down. Youth should not be wasted in despondency because it will be gone before you know it."

Jaqueris was actually grateful for his optimism but wasn't really capable of showing it at the moment and responded with a "Hn". He was still halfway focused on the mess he had placed himself in and trying to come up with a solution that didn't end with him possibly impaled or kicked in the nuts.

"What are we going to learn today?" he asked

Xorn leaned against his desk and grabbed a paperclip from a small bin. He then unfolded it until it was straight and narrow.

"Well, Mr. Malcolm, from the stories I've heard about you and Julian I can assume you know how to use your powers offensively."

"Isn't that the only way I can use them?" Jaqueris inquired

Xorn chuckled which sounded weird because of his helmet before replying, "Not if you have a good imagination. You see the electromagnetic spectrum is more than just microwaves and visible light. It is actually one of the forces that bind atoms together."

"So what? I can disintegrate things into dust is what you're saying?" he said

Xorn shook his head, "You are thinking too much in the destructive properties of your powers I am asking you to look at the more…passive abilities you possess."

Jaqueris was baffled he knew what he could and could not do, what Xorn was asking of him just didn't seem to be applicable by him. There was no plausible situation where Jaqueris saw himself aiding someone else that didn't involve frying their attacker.

"I think you'd better show me." He said

Xorn nodded, "Very well, just let me prepare myself." He said taking a deep breath

Jaqueris was about to ask what he meant, but was answered when Xorn rammed the paperclip into his hand spurting blood everywhere.

"Oh my God!" Jaqueris said jumping back from the sight

Xorn pulled the object from his hand which only caused more blood to erupt from the wound. Jaqueris walked over to help him but wasn't really sure of what to do.

"It's…uhhh…quite alright." He said holding his hand

Jaqueris was reeling from the sight, he was bleeding very heavily and it wasn't stopping, he looked like he had struck a vein. About to run for help he was stopped only by the blue sparkling light that began to emanate from Xorn's uninjured hand. Placing it over his grievous wound Jaqueris watched as the wound began to close at an accelerated rate. In the span of a few seconds it was miraculously healed.

Jaqueris was in disbelief at first and wondered if he was hallucinating, but the more he paid attention to Xorn's hand the more he saw that his hand was as good as new.

"I apologize for the rather rash demonstration, I assure you I will not be doing that again, but I hoped that you would see that your powers were not just for harming others. For example."

The next thing Xorn said was lost to him because he spoke in a different language. Jaqueris wasn't skilled enough in foreign dialects to be able to distinguish what particular language he was speaking in.

"Did you hear me?" he said

Jaqueris was still dumbfounded by the display and didn't answer.

"I just spoke in German, but you must know that I know not a single word in the tongue. Unless you count the word Furher, but I think a few people are familiar with that term."

Jaqueris shook his head to release himself from his stupor, "Then how did you just do that?"

Xorn threw the bloody clip in the trash as he began to explain, "I simply manipulated the gravitational molecules in the air so that you would hear me speak German and I can also use this ability to understand different languages as well."

Jaqueris had to admit that was a cool power, he could already imagine all the things he could say without anybody understanding. The possibilities and laughs he would get out of that were practically limitless.

"Alright, Mr. Xorn, I'm ready for you to teach me."

They practiced at the healing ability for about an hour. At first Jaqueris was unsuccessful at generating the desired result. "Concentrate on pulling the atoms together using your electromagnetism." Xorn had said

During his time he found out a likely cause to his accelerated healing. Xorn had theorized that his body absorbed ambient electrical particles in the air and stored them in his cells, so when he was hurt his body used that excess energy to rapidly heal his body. He also hypothesized that since he controlled electricity if he focused he could push his body into overdrive to heal wounds in seconds rather than the typical hours, but warned that it could tire him out.

After a while he was able to generate a simple healing light that could mend small scrapes, but not anything more than superficial wounds. Which he found out when he bit his thumb to draw blood and wasn't able to heal it. Xorn encouraged him to continue practicing and eventually he would get it. They also managed to work on the gravity language skill for about 30 minutes before Xorn decided that was enough for today.

* * *

><p>Now that he was done it was time to spend the rest of his day in the detention room. The more people he saw in the hallways and outside the more he was dreading spending his time in no doubt a small room with just Julian. He reached the room all too quickly and exhaled noisily before entering.<p>

Like he thought the room was very small indeed and there were only two desks and they were facing each other! Julian was sitting in one with his face in a frown, there was a teacher at the desk who had the newspaper in front of their face.

"Mr. Logan?" called Jaqueris

Without lowering his paper he said, "Yeah, it's me kid. Take a seat until it's time for you two to get out of my hair."

Not too eager to join Julian he attempted to keep the man in the conversation, "How come you weren't there to teach me this morning?"

This time he lowered his paper and glowered at Jaqueris, "That would be none of your damn business. Besides I'm sure Laura was more than enough for you."

Jaqueris sighed again as he realized his plan backfired and went to walk towards his desk. He saw that Julian had been listening to their conversation and was looking at him when he sat.

Jaqueris returned it with a sour look of his own while Julian turned away and glowered. So they sat there for a long time. The only sound was of Logan flipping through his paper and Jaqueris thought that must've been a long paper because he only saw him turn one or two pages. Julian and Jaqueris were quiet the whole time neither making any attempt whatsoever at striking a discussion.

After an eternity Logan stood up and folded his paper, "Listen up you two, I'm going to take a leak. Don't try to run because you won't get far." He said prior to leaving the room

When the door closed Julian waited for a bit to ensure he was gone, "So then you and the clone, huh?"

Jaqueris almost fell out his chair at his accusation, but was even more surprise at his audacity, talking to him so soon after their brawl.

"I'm sorry I think you're under the impression that I like you or something. And what do you mean clone?" He said

Julian contorted his face at this but continued, "You mean you don't know, man are you clueless or what? You would think the claws gave her away."

Jaqueris still was at a loss, he didn't understand what he meant by "claws" unless…

"Wait, does Mr. Logan have…" he said

"Bingo! Far as I know three of them in each hand. Clone girl has 'em too." He revealed

Jaqueris had been stupefied for the second time today. First his teacher stabs his hand to show off some crazy healing ability and now the girl he kissed turns out the be a clone of one of his teachers. This put the situation way higher on the creepy scale. Man, being a mutant was turning out to have all kinds of twists and turns he had never dreamed of.

"A clone." He said falling back into his chair

"Yeah, and you're trying to nail her." Said Julian

Jaqueris reacted on impulse rather than forethought and said, "No I'm not!"

Jaqueris had unwittingly walked into a trap, by denying any interest in Laura he had achieved the opposite effect and only confirmed to Julian that he was. He put on a face that showed he didn't believe a word Jaqueris was saying.

"Come on, you two are alone all the time and you're telling me nothing happened?" Jaqueris nodded a yes, "Are you gay?" he asked bluntly

Jaqueris was ready to object, but was stopped when he saw a silver puddle sliding under the door. "What's that?" he said

Julian turned and looked at the mass that was growing in size and beginning to take on a human form. "Cess, what are you doing in here?" he said

Jaqueris recognized the shortening of Cessily Kincaid's name and once he saw her take on her normal humanoid shape his confusion disappeared. He however was not prepared for the look she shot him.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked angrily

Julian and Jaqueris just stared at her in complete shock. She didn't seem to notice the current state she was in as she stood there fuming. Julian began to cackle to himself for a reason lost to Cessily.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked again

Even though he saw her expression her outburst still caught him off guard since he wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying because of two distractions, "Who me?"

Cessily put her hands on hips and began to tap her foot in typical girly fashion making her bounce in more ways than one, "Yes, you! You made Laura upset!" she all but screamed at him

Jaqueris rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought that Laura couldn't be too different because she did something that all teenage girls did. That was go complain to their girlfriends about their problems. He closed his eyes to think as well as block out the disruption that Cessily was unknowingly providing.

"Listen, I'm stuck in here for at least another 3 hours. So tell Laura to meet me on the balcony later tonight."

Cessily settled down somewhat and crossed her arms making the sight of her at least marginally decent, "You had better not hurt her feelings again!"

"Believe me I won't. You'd better leave before Logan comes back in here and accuses us of… He looked her up and down "misconduct." He urged

She was about to melt back into puddle form to make an exit, but was stopped by Julian's comment, "Oh and Cess, put some clothes on please?"

The metal girl looked down and saw that she was indeed naked; she hurriedly dissolved into a puddle and slipped back under the door embarrassed.

Julian let out the full brunt of his laughter and Jaqueris actually joined in.

The rest of their time there was spent in comfortable silence, despite not attempting to Jaqueris felt that they may have found some common ground, but that did not mean they had to be friends or anything. After finally being released Jaqueris looked outside and saw that it was night time.

"_Alright, time to nut up or shut up."_ He thought

Jaqueris made his way towards the meeting location between him and Laura. He saw that Cessily had done what he had requested as Laura was standing outside looking over the edge of the balcony.

Taking his remaining time to center himself he joined her on the terrace.

"Nice night, isn't it?"

Jaqueris mentally slapped himself on the back of the head at the corniness of this opener, but then Laura was never one to catch the subtleties of human interaction.

"Yes, it is." She did not meet his eyes immediately and seemed more focused on the sky

Deciding that attempting to ease the tension would only amplify it he said, "Look, Laura first of all I'm sorry for what I did." She slowly turned towards him as he continued "It's just that I like you, but then there's Megan and…"

"Megan?" she cut him off

"Yeah, I like her too and I don't want her feelings to be hurt." He explained

Laura didn't completely understand the dynamics of relationships, but Jaqueris seemed to be even more confused than him. Perhaps she could help him make sense of the situation.

"Of Megan and I which do you prefer?" she ask turning to him fully

Jaqueris may have told Laura he liked her bluntness, but that was before she was using it at his expense. Now he wished she would've listened to his other advice about "curbing".

He swallowed hard at this predicament, Laura had asked him a straight question and now he owed it to her to give her a direct answer.

"I want…" he began but Laura didn't seem to be paying attention as her nose wrinkled like she smelled something foul. This was before she shouted, "Move!" before pushing him backwards

* * *

><p><strong>5 Minutes Earlier<strong>

He sat on a tree limb and surveyed the school before him. The Xavier Institute was obviously a school of prestige, at least from outward appearances, the ornate gate and paved bricks displayed wealth without being ostentatious. But he wasn't here to admire the structure of the building or its marvelous masonry.

He was here for one reason and one reason only, Jaqueris Malcolm. After botching his mission to assassinate the boy he was filled a desire to find him again. He had managed to track him here quite easily as he was unsuspecting of anyone following him, add in the fact that Charles Xavier had been outed as a mutant this made the location the most likely refuge for him.

The memories he had of him and Jaqueris were still replaying in his mind and he needed answers. So he staked out the mansion for nearly two days now and decided this was the best time to strike. He was dressed in a black stealth suit made of spandex that covered his whole body save for his head, it was insulated so that he wouldn't sweat heavily and had lightweight Kevlar interwoven throughout protecting his vital areas. His head was covered in a ski-mask like covering, but it had lenses over the eyes that allowed him to see in infrared.

Of course he had no weapons, save for a holster holding his favorite combat knife and a device on his hip that would release a grappling hook. With the sun now completely down he leapt off of the tree and quickly scaled the gate. He landed inside what appeared to be a garden, hiding inside a brush he saw two teenagers making out on a stone bench by a large fountain.

Willing a tranquilizer gun into his hand he took aim, it had a built in suppressor so he didn't have to worry about noise attracting anyone. Taking aim he fired a dart into the neck of the closer girl, she slumped causing the boy to catch her exposing his head. He was dropped when he caught the girl in his arms.

Moving swiftly Null caught the two before they hit the ground and positioned them in a way that looked like they were making out. Studying his environment, the door was wide open right in front of him, and he saw no heat signatures besides light so he ventured inside. Normally he would've made his way to the higher levels, but because of the large amount of windows he risked being spotted by a student.

Always adaptable he would have to work his way up to the second floor where Jaqueris' room was. But first things first, he moved slowly on the soles of his feet pressing his weight the balls of his feet so that he could move stealthily. He pressed against the wall when he heard chattering over the sound of a tv playing.

"_Must be in the rec area." _He thought

He summoned a mirror in his hand and adjusted the lens so that he could see around the corner without exposing his face. He counted three heads; one belonged to a huge rock golem and a boy that seemed to be covered in quills and the other to a girl with pink hair and fairy wings.

Fortunately their backs were turned as the stone boy relayed a story. He slipped past them and headed up the stairs. Before making his way down the hall he saw that there were no doors on the side meaning no one could come out to surprise him, but also that he couldn't hide inside if someone rounded the corner.

Knowing that standing still only increased his chances of being discovered he ran towards the end of the hall and as luck would have it he saw a shadow coming around the corner. Timing his pace he sped up so that he met the boy coming around the corner.

Luckily he had headphones on and couldn't hear his approach. He definitely felt it however when Null rammed him into the wall and threw him to the ground. The agent covered his mouth to prevent him from yelling out; before he recovered from the shock he pulled out his combat knife.

He saw the boy's eyes widen as he saw the blade, thinking he was about to be stabbed, but Null had no intention of killing him. The blade had a special feature where it would produce a taser like charge if the handle was squeezed with sufficient force. He brought it down across the boy's neck, but just enough where the blade touched his skin, but not break the skin.

His body shook for a minute from the electricity running through his him before he went unconscious. Null would have to wait another 60 seconds before the knife recharged itself and in the meanwhile he dragged the body towards a nearby bathroom. Opening the stall he placed him on the toilet and put on his now ruined headphones.

About to leave he stopped when he heard footsteps coming, he pressed his back against the wall and crouched. If it was a boy and he came into the bathroom he would need to take him out in less than 3 seconds so that he could stuff his body in a spare stall like his contemporary.

As his footsteps grew louder, his heartbeat quickened as well. Pulling his knife to his chest he readied himself for decisive action. A brown shoed foot step around the corner and Null was one millisecond away from knocking the boy out, however this was not necessary as the boy with red feathery wings walked past the restroom without turning around.

Counting his blessings he exited and came up on the stairs that would lead to the second floor.

"_Finally." _He thought

The halls up here were more narrow meaning he could not maneuver as quickly as before, but he would not have to because Jaqueris' room was only one door down. Putting his hand on the door his body began to react to what was about to happen. He would finally get the answers he sought and Jaqueris was going to give them to him willingly or not.

Expecting to enter and subdue his target, Null turned off his infrared vision which in hindsight was not a good idea, because the door flung open to reveal a green skinned boy resembling a reptile. For a minute they both were in shock the boy more so because of the holster holding Null's knife. Null however was extremely capable of overcoming surprises and was ready to incapacitate the boy.

"So are you and Jaqueris doing some survival project for Mr. Logan?" he said

Showing how much of an opportunist he was Null said, "Yeah, we were planning to go out tonight and collect some herbs." He said

"Well, he's not here right now, he said something about going to meet Laura on the balcony." He reported as he walked by him

"Thanks." He said. Null already knew where it was and arrived in good time. He found his objective talking to a young girl. She was facing him as if expecting a response while Jaqueris looked contemplative.

Crouching Null prepared to take the shot, they were almost out of his range so this shot had to be perfect. The dart fired would be enough to take Jaqueris down and he could handle the girl with ease. He steadied his gun and closed one eye to zero in on Jaqueris. Controlling his breathing he waited until the small window between his breathing. And he fired.

In any other shot the young marksmen would've scored a bull's-eye, but most targets didn't have a highly trained former assassin with super-keen senses with them. Null saw the girl push Jaqueris backwards out of the way of the projectile.

"Shit!" he cursed knowing he'd be compromised

The girl turned towards his direction and in an instant two pairs of metal claws protruded from her hands. The placement of the claws seemed familiar to Null, but he wasn't thinking about that as the girl advanced towards his location.

Thinking quickly he manifested another tranquilizer into the chamber of the gun and looked back at her to fire. He was not ready for the fact that she was already on him and in the air about to come down with her claws. He managed to get the dart off and in lodged into her shoulder but she managed to slice his gun like butter.

Throwing his weapon away he quickly pulled out his knife. She sent a downward strike and he responded by sending his blade upward. The two bladed weapons clanged together, he was surprised his knife was made of adamantium so those claws had to be the same material. She seemed to be thinking the same thing because she stopped for a millisecond and that was enough time for him to send a spinning back kick her way which knocked her back.

Her balance was impressive because she didn't fall only stumbled. Not letting up Null flipped his knife in the air and caught the end of it in his fingers. He cocked his hand back and threw it at her while she recovered.

She managed to impress him again with her reflexes as she moved her head to avoid it embedding itself in her forehead. Null smirked under his mask as he knew he had her now. When she turned back to him the knife disappeared in a purple flash.

As she ran at him again it reappeared but this time it was only inches from her chest. Not even Laura could dodge it at this distance as it pierced her chest and drove into her heart. Blood spayed out and Laura fell to her knees. She looked at him vacantly before falling on her side.

Null looked at her limp form that was one of his signature moves so he rarely used it. Also since she didn't know his abilities she was caught completely off guard. Too bad he could tell from the short time he fought her that she had some serious skill and it would've been fun to face her in CQB (Close Quarter Battle).

A bolt of energy stopped him from further admiration sending him sprawling on the floor. The electricity locked up all his muscles as he writhed around.

Jaqueris came up on Laura and almost vomited at seeing her condition. A knife was sticking out of her chest in the area where her heart would be. Her eyes were still open, but it didn't take a doctor to tell she wasn't conscious or breathing. He rolled her on her back and manipulated the knife to pull it out of her chest.

As it came into his hand a little blood shot into the air and for a minute he didn't think this would work.

"Come on, Laura, I thought you said you had a healing factor. I can't heal a wound this serious!" he begged

As if on cue her chest opening began to close and she blinked her eyes. Releasing a breath she focused on him and stood up, "Where is the assailant?" she asked

Before Jaqueris could answer her they were both thrown backwards by a mid air split delivered by Null.

He couldn't handle both Jaqueris and the girl at the same time. Between her trying to gut him and being attacked from afar he would be subdued before too long. So he was currently retreating by running towards the balcony. The fall would hurt but he would survive.

Once he finally jumped off the gallery he flipped forward in the air and threw putty at the base of the structure. Righting himself he prepared himself for the impact by bending his knees. He landed on the balls of his feet and rolled to spread the force of impact throughout his body instead of right into it.

Laura and Jaqueris had now recovered from being knocked down and saw the stranger jump from the terrace. Running to see the outcome of this action they saw that he was no worse for wear and looking up at them.

He then held up his hand which held a detonator and pressed it. Jaqueris could feel the radiowaves heading towards them.

"Laura, hold on!" he cried before grabbing her around the waist and encompassing them in a shield

The explosion annihilated the balcony in a fireball of destruction. Null activated his infrared to see if his plan had worked. Through his enhanced vision he was able to pick up their still active heat signatures.

"_Damn!" _he cursed before turning to run; if he could mount the fence he had at least a respectable chance of escaping.

"He is escaping." Said Laura

"No shit." Agreed Jaqueris, he looked at the girl in his arms and an idea popped into his head. "Laura unsheathe your claws! Hurry!"

She did as she was told and her claws ejected from her hands. Letting her go he concentrated on the traces of metal in her hands and feet. It was considerably easier to lift her limbs than her whole body.

"Alright, you ready?." He said

By now Null was nearing the fence and felt his getaway was assured until a searing pain erupted in both of his scapulas. He fell face forward into the ground and turned his head fast enough to see Laura's hand come down on his face. He blacked out.

* * *

><p>Wow! Another 6,000 word chap, well I hope you guys enjoyed it because I really liked writing this one.<p> 


	16. Detention Part 2

**Detention Pt. 2**

* * *

><p>A man resembling a mummy was sitting in a bed in the ICU section of the hospital. His mind felt groggy because of the levels of medication they had pumped into him to numb the excruciating pain that had wracked throughout his body. The injury had been so extensive that he couldn't even talk much less move, so to remedy this the hospital provided him with a keyboard that allowed him to type what he wanted say. The words appeared in large letter on a monitor above the head of his bed.<p>

He heard the doctors say it was a miracle that he had survived, much of his skin had been burned into blackened eschar and the havoc on his internal organs was even worse. They said it was a stroke of luck, but he knew the truth the real reason he was alive was because of his strength of will. The burning abhorrence he had for the one who did this to him and the pleasure he would receive from making him suffer also assisted in his survival.

"_Jaqueris Malcolm."_ He thought in detestation

The curtain around his bed slid open to reveal his friend Toro walking through. He had informed the nurses that he didn't want any visitors beside him, no one else could see him in the sorry state he was in, it would make him appear weak. The man looked at him a minute before sitting down in a chair beside the bed.

"_Well?" _ he typed on the keyboard

Seeing the question flash on the screen Toro said, "The doctors say over 75% of your body was burned beyond recognition even with skin grafts they aren't completely sure that they can completely repair the damage." He stopped as he let this news sink in

"_What else?" _Capelli typed again

"They also ran some tests," he stopped and looked down at his hands "Joseph they say you're sterile and…" this time he looked away from the man lying in the bed

Not wanting to be kept in suspense he rapidly typed, "_And?"_

Toro took a deep breath, "You have cancer boss and its terminal." He divulged at last

If Capelli could move he would've clenched his fist, but that would be all the reaction anyone would see. Being bed-ridden he could not display his emotions the way he desired and was forced to explode in resentment on the inside.

"_Did you contact them?"_ appeared on the screen

Toro was more level now as he answered the man, "Yes, I did and after chewing them out for sending us a horrible shot they told me something interesting."

The gangster turned his only visible eye towards him, "They said that their agent had never returned to their base." Toro said

* * *

><p>Null lifted his head up slowly. There was a bright light shining on his face and he no longer had his mask on. He could recall fighting the mutant girl and then making an escape attempt, but after that there was only darkness.<p>

He tried to lift his arms and found they were bound at the wrists. A pain in both his scapula's reminded him of the outcome of how he'd been knocked out.

"Welcome back to the living, kid." Said a curt voice

His eyes had adjusted to the light in his eyes so he was able to make out the diminutive man leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. He looked around some more and found that there was also a man with shades and a lady with red hair. Between them both was a man with a bald head, they were all staring at him intensely.

They were in what appeared to be an office and he was tied down to a chair. From the décor he could tell he was still inside the institute probably the headmaster's personal study.

"Who sent you?" asked the man in shades

Null looked him over. He was definitely confident, but seemed to be a total stiff who liked to throw around his authority. The woman beside him had a much softer aura about her and she wasn't hard to look at to boot. The man between them was obviously one of refinement, but he was not arrogant or possessed any other negative aspects that affected many men of intellect.

However, the man on the wall was the most intriguing. While he seemed boorish and wild with his large sideburns Null could tell deep under his outer exterior laid the heart of a killer and an efficient one at that, but also a sharp mind.

"Who sent you?" repeated the man again

"Su madre me envio, dick usted." he said

The man could tell he was speaking in another language and turned to his compatriot on the wall, "Logan?"

The man eyed the boy with curiosity before answering, "He said, "Your mother sent me, you dick." Guess the kid actually listened in Spanish Class."

The insulted man's jaw tightened but he didn't make any other visible signs at the disrespect shown to him. This time the woman spoke to him in a soft, but serious tone.

"Who are you, what about that then?" she asked politely

Null looked her way and quickly scanned her body, "Nice mesanges." He said

The two looked back at Logan again for a translation. He smirked when he heard what the boy had said before revealing what that was.

"He looks like he knows French too. Oh and he complimented your umm set, Red." He said

"My set?" she said raising her eyebrow before awareness ran across her face making her look down at her chest and cover her assets with her arms. She gave Null a dirty look showing she did not appreciate his compliment.

Null inwardly chuckled at their reactions, the man was even angrier at him now. Apparently he and the woman had something of a relationship.

"He is resistant to telepathy, more than likely conditioning by whoever sent him" said the cueball "Why are you here?" turning back to the boy

Tilting his head to the left he used his native language this time, "I have some business with a student of yours."

"Who?" asked the man

Null eyed the door as the answer to his question was right beyond he could feel him.

"You'll find out soon enough." He then created several small spheres in his tied hands

He dropped them to the floor and produced a gas mask over his face, "I'd hold my breath if I were you." He suggested smiling

Then a hazy smoke erupted from the spheres and spread throughout the room at a quick pace. It consumed everyone inside the room in a few seconds before anyone could react. He could hear their haggard coughing through the smoke screen.

"Dammit, it's tear gas!" he recognized the voice as the short man

Standing up in the chair he jumped as high as he could in the air and lifted his knees to his chest. When he landed the chair cracked into many individual pieces. The ropes confining him fell off onto the ground.

"Now to find my Jaqueris." He said

* * *

><p><strong>8 minutes earlier<strong>

Jaqueris was pacing back and forth constantly outside the doorway, he was completely flabbergasted at what he and Laura had discovered not too long ago. They had been attacked by an odd boy in a strange suit; he had attacked them using a tranquilizer and knife. He had even managed to destroy the balcony with a planted explosive, but after their tussle no one was able to locate a detonator, cartridge from the gun or the gun itself, all they had managed to recover was the adamantium knife he used.

Luckily Laura had managed to subdue the boy before he could escape. Before alerting the senior X-men, they decided to unmask him and Jaqueris would never forget what he saw.

Laura brought down her fist across the boy's head knocking him down for the count. Laura popped her claws and intended to drive her claws into his head, but was stopped by Jaqueris holding her wrist.

"Wait, we don't know who's under that mask. It could be someone here against their will." He said

Laura looked at him with a look like she knew better, "It is not wise to leave him alive he may attack once more."

Jaqueris helped her up from the ground and released his hold, "I just want to see who was trying to kill us, okay."

Laura didn't say anything, but he had a feeling that she still did not agree with this course of action however she let him continue.

Kneeling down he gently lifted the boy's head and felt around his neck for the seam to the mask. Finding it he pulled it up. He had a busted lip from striking the ground, but seemed to be in okay shape. As he pulled the mask higher he felt his heart tug with a yank being felt once he removed it completely.

He stood up and dropped the mask to the ground as he stared wide eyed in disbelief. He walked backwards and stumbled onto his butt from the surprise.

"You know him?" Laura asked

Jaqueris calmed his breathing down before saying, "I should…he's my brother."

Jaqueris groaned loudly in frustration. He couldn't fathom what they were doing inside with his kin or if he was even awake yet. He wanted to see him, and in a non homosexual way, touch him to ensure he was real and this was not some really cruel dream.

"Dammit, how long is this supposed to take?" he finally said

Laura had her back against a wall and said, "Your brother is probably resistant against interrogation. Perhaps the Professor or Logan are using "alternative" methods to persuade him to talk."

Jaqueris didn't like the way she said "alternative" it was said as if it had a sinister second meaning, "What are you saying?"

"Mental torture or with Wolverine physical." She said flatly

Jaqueris narrowed his eyes at her, "Don't even joke like that, Laura. That's my brother in there some of the only family I have left. If they do anything to hurt him I swear…" he placed his head in his hands and frowned heavily

Laura could smell the distress radiating off of him. He was in deep turmoil and she was remorseful that her comment had only amplified his negative feelings.

"Are you sure he is your brother?" she asked

Jaqueris repeated this question in his own head for a moment. He had to admit the boy in the next room was fundamentally different than the brother he knew; he might even say he was unhinged. After all his brother was a highly trained mutant assassin.

"I don't know. The kid in the room is at least 16, but I'm six years older than my brother. And Ja'Keyon could never handle a gun the way he did or sneak inside the institute, he' be waaaaay too loud with that mouth of his." He said

Laura closed her eyes as her mind began to run through possible identities she arrived at one that fit the best, but one she wished wasn't true.

"There is a chance that he may be working for…" she began but was halted by the sound of another voice

"Jaqueris, did you hear about the explosion outside?" said Megan

She was flapping towards them with the news but stopped mid-flight when she spotted Laura. The two shared a look that only said bad news to Jaqueris. He really didn't need this headache right now; he wanted to focus completely on the return of his sibling.

The two females said nothing to each other at first only staring until, "Jaqueris, I am leaving." Said Laura as she walked away

The girl walked by Megan without looking at her but Megan followed her with her eyes up until she was out of sight. Jaqueris let out a small sigh as he observed the two.

"What was **she** doing here?" asked Megan turning back to him

Jaqueris growled a little before answering, "Megan not now. I have more important things on my mind at the moment." He said turning back towards the door

Megan huffed at the lack of urgency he showed and flew to face him, "And what might that be? She demanded

Jaqueris gave her an annoyed look and was considering just staying silent to punish her persistence, but knew that would only cause more of her fuss.

"Inside that room is my little brother who's supposed to be dead. I'm waiting for the teachers to get through with him so I can talk to him."

Megan's face deflated as she felt like a complete douchebag. This was the second time she had almost flipped out on Jaqueris on his closeness with Laura only to be rebuffed by some shocking revelation.

"I'm sorry…I keep jumping to conclusions about you and her. It's just that Laura's this pretty girl and I'm…well I'm…"

It was Jaqueris' turn to feel like an A-grade butthole now; he had inadvertently hurt her feelings. What also added to this was the fact that she was right to jump to conclusions after all he had kissed Laura this morning.

"Look, don't apologize; you don't have a reason too. I should be because I" Jaqueris held his breath for a moment as he was about to admit to his mistake "I…" he stopped when he heard something crashing on the inside of the door.

His concerns heightened when smoke began to creep from under the door. This elevated once again when the door leading into the office was thrown from its hinges. He and Megan were stunned by the splintered wood. Looking inside the doorway they saw Ja'Keyon, in a gas mask, standing before the defeated and collapsed forms of their teachers.

"Megan, run!" Jaqueris managed to yell before his leg was kicked from behind and his neck grabbed by Null and a sharp knife pressed against it.

His mask disappeared in a purple light as he spoke, "Fancy meeting you here, huh?"

"Jaqueris!" called Megan as she began to step forward

The trained marksman brandished a gun holding the knife beside the handle, "Ah-ah-ah, don't come any closer. Me and Jaqueris are just going to take a little walk." He said

Megan did as she was told and looked fearfully at the boy. Jaqueris knew that struggling would be fruitless in this situation, but Ja'Keyon seemed to have forgotten some important facts about him. He was anything but helpless especially at this range.

He sent a repelling dome of gravity from his body which pushed his brother backwards a good distance. He floated through the air before landing with a thud.

"Damn." He cursed as he began to rise

He brought his knife to his chest and pointed his gun as he prepared to battle his brother once again. Jaqueris brought his hand up to Megan's shoulder and moved her in a safe position.

"Stay behind me, he's dangerous." Jaqueris warned

"Glad you know." Null said

He was about to strike but a hand on the door beside the two students made him think otherwise. It was the hand of the short gruff man with the large sideburns. His eyes were red and watering, but Null couldn't tell if it was from the gas or how angry he was.

"Alright, kid, do you know how bad tear gas stings when you have heightened senses?" he then clenched his fists as three metal claws ejected from each hand just like the girl from before

The agent looked at the odds in front of him. One on two he was sure he could take down Jaqueris and the girl easily, but with the addition of the clawed mutant things were a bit more complicated. He assumed the man had some relation to the girl he fought earlier and if that relation stemmed into their fighting abilities he would meet a similar result from this encounter. So he turned to try and make his second escape attempt of the night.

He turned to find not the furnished halls he had observed before, but complete and total darkness. Needless to say this unnerved him a bit as he backed up from the sight. His back hit an invisible wall and he turned around to find more of the same dismal abyss. Looking around some more he found that the inky black was all around him with no end in sight.

Jaqueris watched his brother with a bewildered gaze as he was walked around in circles and pointed his gun at nothing. He worried that he had snapped or something as his motions became more erratic with him slicing his knife through the air.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked worriedly

"Moonstar." Logan said

Just then the woman who had recruited him came into view accompanied by Dr. McCoy.

"Oh my, this is a rather fortuitous circumstance. It seems we have a rather violent guest on the premises." The blue man said

Logan sheathed his claws as he approached the boy, "You're about a gas bomb and C4 explosion too late to be saying that Hank." He then chopped Ja'Keyon in the back of the neck sending the boy sprawling to the floor

"We're gonna have to be careful with this one." Logan said as they all eyed to unmoving form of Ja'Keyon Malcolm

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was sitting Indian style on the floor and staring blankly ahead. His body was in Xorn's classroom practicing a new technique being taught to him, but his mind was still on the events of last night.<p>

"Mr. Malcolm!" Xorn called for the umpteenth time

Jaqueris returned to the present on hearing his name. Xorn was standing over him tapping his foot, a sign of impatience, he should be Jaqueris had been drifting in and out the entire time he was here.

"Sorry, Mr. Xorn. I guess I'm just really distracted today." Jaqueris apologized

Xorn shook his head in understanding, "Yes, the appearance of your sibling is most unexpected. I suspect anyone would be troubled by such a similar development. But I must ask that you have faith in the Professor, he is well adjusted to situations of this nature he will make the proper choice."

"Thank you." The troubled teen said but he wasn't sure if it had really helped at all

"You're welcome, now back to the matter at hand. The technique you are learning is very useful in tracking. In layman's terms you emit microwaves at a certain wavelength which in effect will give you active radar. The size of it is determined by how much you emit, but I must warn you expelling too much can damage the environment and the people around you."

"I've done something like that before. When I concentrate I get this weird "vision" I can see the electricity traveling through people and other stuff." Jaqueris explained

Xorn placed his hand under his chin to think before saying, "What you perceive is the magnetic and electrical aura that surrounds everything on this planet. It would make sense because of the Earth's magnetosphere. This is why this skill is so useful, once you fully master it you can potentially find anyone on the planet."

Jaqueris was once again amazed at the untapped potential his powers granted him. It even managed to temporarily wipe the concern from his brother from his mind, albeit very shortly.

"Alright, let's see what I can do." Jaqueris said eagerly

Like with many initial attempts on a new task, Jaqueris met with failure and only managed to produce heat which Xorn reminded him to control. Listening Jaqueris increased the wavelength of the microwaves but did it slowly. Not too long after this the radiation bounced back to him and the vague image of Xorn popped into his head.

He opened his eyes as his new ability set in, "Well?" asked Xorn

"I did it. I only got as far as you but I did it." Said Jaqueris getting a little excited

Xorn stood up, "Very good, Jaqueris, but I think that is enough for today. The Professor has lifted your detention because of your "predicament", but lunch is about to start soon and I think you would rather spend it with your friends than here."

Jaqueris saw the logic in this but he was still a little upset that he wouldn't get the chance to work more on his powers. He was more skilled in his healing powers and could "speak" two new languages and with this new tracking ability he had something else to work on.

"Alright, Professor, I'll see you tomorrow." He said before leaving

In the hallway Jaqueris was caught by two of his friends heading to the same location.

"Jaqueris wait up!" said David, he was accompanied by Sophia

"So what did you learn in Xorn today?" asked Sophia

Jaqueris took control of her hand and made her flip her ponytail over the front of her face, "Nothing much, just things like that." He said smiling

She lightly punched him in the shoulder at his antics. "Come on let's go to lunch." Said Jaqueris

The three were now sitting at the lunch table awaiting the arrival of Laurie. Jaqueris noted how they had grown closer during his stay here when at first he didn't really have an opinion of them. Actually he was really grateful for it and just hoped nothing like what happened between him and David would drive them apart.

"Look, there's Laurie and Josh." Said Sophia

Jaqueris frowned at the name and it deepened when he saw the boy she was referring to. He was walking beside Laurie who seemed extra happy. When they sat down he gripped his fork extra hard while he watched the boy carefully.

David began to speak about something involving Dani Moonstar, but Jaqueris was so focused on the former Reaver that he wasn't paying attention to his words or what was happening to his fork.

"Uh…Jaqueris your fork is melting." Said Laurie

Jaqueris looked down at his utensil and found Laurie's words to be true. The fork was slumping forward like rubber. He released it as the heat from his hand subsided, "I guess I'm gonna need another one." He then got up to leave the table shooting Josh a look that he wasn't sure he received or not.

Returning he found that the group had moved onto a new topic of conversation, "And she used to be a part of Danielle's old team." Said David

"I've seen pictures of Ms. Moonstar's old team and the only one missing was the catholic girl. I don't think the school needs another uptight chick." Said Josh

Jaqueris narrowed his eyes at the boy but said nothing. "Well, she doesn't look so uptight to me." Said David looking over his chair

They all turned to in the direction he was looking. Standing with Danielle and Shan was a busty scantily dressed woman. She had long red hair with several piercings and wore leather, a typical biker girl to Jaqueris, but he had to admit she did look attractive.

Josh was ogling the girl much harder than he probably intended earning him a jealous look from Laurie. "Down boy. I think she might freak out if you start humping her leg." Said Jaqueris

Josh shook his head as he returned to reality, Laurie was looking down at the table and was clenching the pants on her legs.

"_That sucks."_ Thought Jaqueris

"Hey you guys wanna come with us to the Grindstone?" asked Sophia

Everyone nodded "Yes" but Jaqueris. "Sorry, I have to meet up with Megan, but bring me something back and we'll say I owe you." He said

"As soon as you give me your wallet, I'll do that." Said David

They finished their lunches quickly enough; Jaqueris wasn't completely comfortable with Josh sitting at their table. He expected David to feel the same way, but it seemed to be that much of his ill will toward the boy had dissipated for some reason. Eventually they went their separate ways as everyone else went to the café he wouldn't be going to see Megan like he said, but to visit someone that was just as important to him.

* * *

><p>Null was sitting cross legged in the middle of the medium sized cell. He was wearing an all white shirt and pants, something the mutants had given him once they had escorted him to his prison. There was a bed behind him and a sink to his right, a light outside the cell was the only thing that provided illumination.<p>

What was stopping him from blowing a hole in the wall and escaping was the large Russian that was watching him. He recalled that the man with shades referred to him as Piotr and assigned him the guard duty. They had been changing at a regular interval and so far he had been watched by the one called Logan, the woman who incapacitated him, and a woman of Asian heritage.

When he first awoke he had tested the toughness of the glass in front of him with a punch and kick. He was rewarded with a nice bruise on his knuckles and a dull pain running up his leg.

"So how long do I sit here before they execute me?" he asked the man in Russian

He seemed surprised that he knew how to speak it and answered in the same language, "We aren't in the business of murdering our captives."

Null scoffed at his answer, "Good to know?"

A knock at the door made the man rise up. The prisoner thought it was time for his relief shift, but was proven wrong when he saw the visage of the one who helped put him her enter the doorway.

Jaqueris was talking to the man, "Just let me talk to him for a minute Mr. Rasputin. He's my little brother."

The Russian could imagine how the boy was feeling. He had lost his own little sister, Illayna, as well and would jump at the chance to speak with her again. So in the end his own human emotions won out over his duty as an X-man.

"5 minutes, I'll be outside door if you need me." He said walking past him

Now that they were alone both studied one another with unflinching eyes. Null was still in his sitting position and was waiting for the boy to say something. Once it was clear that that was not going to happen he spoke himself.

"So is this a social visit or are you apart of my firing squad?" he asked

Jaqueris magnetically pulled a metal chair up to the cell and sat down, "They aren't going to kill you." He said

Null still did not believe this. He was obviously a threat to everyone at this school and could probably kill a fair portion of them if he so desired so the only intelligent choice was to exterminate him before he had the chance.

"Well since you're here maybe you can answer a few questions for me?" he asked but it was more of a statement than anything else

"I was hoping you could do the same for me." Jaqueris said leaning forward

Null tilted his head before he began, "Why do I have these memories of you in my head? When I know for a fact I've never met you before in my life. I mean come on basketball of all things?"

When he asked this any doubts Jaqueris had that the boy before him was his brother disappeared. He had thought Ja'Keyon as much as he could about the sport, before his supposed death. The fact that he could evoke these memories meant it had to be him. With this relief washing over him he let out a small chuckle.

"What's so funny?" his brother asked

"Nothing." He stopped his smiling to look at him "Those memories are just a reminder of some of the stuff we used to do together. I remember when I first started teaching you…you were the sorriest player I'd ever seen." He began to laugh again as the memories of Ja'Keyon struggling to hit one shot came into mind

Null was annoyed at his amusement he seemed to think this was some kind of joke. "You're lying! None of that ever happened! Now tell me the truth!" he said standing and walking closer to the glass his anger rising

Jaqueris just looked at him when the door behind them opened to reveal Laura walking inside. She closed the door behind her as she stared at the one in the cell. Jaqueris noticed that she pulled in her claws when she saw him.

"Man, I must be really popular to be getting all these visitors today." Joked Ja'Keyon as he walked to sit on his bed

Jaqueris was also taken aback by Laura's arrival here. Besides her involvement in his attack, she had no connection to his brother. In the back of his mind he wondered what Laura had planned to do with her claws if he wasn't there.

"Laura, what are you doing here?" asked Jaqueris

She looked down at him with a bit of shame in her voice, "I want to question him?" she said

"Get in line, honey. Your teachers wanna do the same thing and they get zilch. What makes you think I'm going to answer to you?" he revealed

Laura stepped up to the glass and peered into the boys eyes unrelentingly, "Was it the Facility?" she asked

Jaqueris was confused as to what the two were talking about, but saw that they seemed to have an understanding of the subject matter.

"Sorry, **X-23**, but I didn't come here for you. The Facility did not send me. Though I've gotta admit I kicked myself for not recognizing the claws and healing factor earlier, but eventually it came to me. Only Weapon X could create a weapon as **fine **as you." He said putting extra the emphasis on the mysterious names he dropped

Laura cringed at the name while Jaqueris' bewilderment only increased at the name that Ja'Keyon had called his friend.

"You are a weapon also." She said making Ja'Keyon brighten as if it was a compliment "They will replace you." This time Ja'Keyon reversed his jovial expression into one of contempt for the girl

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said turning away dismissively

"Your body is not invulnerable and you lack a healing factor. You were a prototype that they designed, once they correct the imperfections in your makeup, you will be…"

She stopped when Null suddenly jumped from his bed and held a handgun, pointing it at Laura's head.

The two stared at one another in a deadlock, Jaqueris was about to rip the gun from his brother's hand until Laura said, "You know as well as I do that that will not work."

Ja'Keyon shook the gun at her in a threatening manner, "No…but it'll make me feel better." He said before unloading the entire clip at her

The bullets struck the thick glass but did not cause it to shatter; in fact not even a crack appeared where the bullets impacted. Null didn't seem to care, he continued to fire until an audible click sounded off signifying the gun was empty. He stared at Laura with hateful eyes.

"Are you finished?" she asked vacantly

Null's anger at this point was at its peak as he threw the empty gun at the barrier separating him and the object of his rage. It clanged against the glass before falling harmlessly to the floor, "Visiting hours are over. Get out of my sigh, now!" he demanded

The door behind them swung open as Piotr ran inside clad in his organic metal armor. "What's going on in here?"

They all looked at him not intending to answer his question. Seeing as he was getting no response he said, "Alright, you two leave the area. I'm already in enough trouble with letting both of you in and stay as long as you have."

Jaqueris put his hand on Laura's shoulder to urge her to leave. She and his brother were still staring at each other intensely through the glass. Finally breaking the contact they both left the prison area.

Null returned to his bed and sat down, "Replaced, my ass. Stupid clone." He said begrudgingly closing his eyes

* * *

><p>As they were returning to the surface Jaqueris saw the quick pace that Laura was walking in.<p>

"Laura, wait! Why did he call you X-23 and what's all this about a Facility?" he asked

Laura stopped but did not turn to face him knowing if she did she would have to answer his questions. He made this even more difficult as he walked around to her front. She turned her head to the side to try and avoid his gaze.

"Laura, you can tell me. We're friends right?" he said

Laura raised her head at the word. She was still very unfamiliar with the term but was sure she didn't have many of them.

"Friends?" she asked meekly

"Yeah, which means if something is bothering us we let each other know."

She looked at him one last time before deciding it would be safe to tell him a little of her history. She would not however include the memories of her mother, which was something even she did not like revisiting.

"X-23 is my designate name. The Facility named me as such because I was the 23rd attempt at cloning Weapon X or Wolverine." She explained

Jaqueris listened to her story. Clones, living weapons, codenames it sounded like something right out of a Hollywood spy flick, but this was real and it obviously bothered Laura deeply. He placed his hands on her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry Laura. I didn't know you had such a complicated past."

Laura felt like crying but held it back as she stared into his dark brown eyes. She felt secure with him when they looked at one another like this. Jaqueris held her gaze as well and the thought of kissing her came into his head, but he thought better of it.

Like the old saying goes, "Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me." So he broke the gaze and looked away, "Alright, ummm…I" he stammered as he realized he was at a loss for words

Laura looked straight ahead at being rejected. She was familiar with pain but this pain was completely different, when something normally hurt her she could kill it, but knew that that solution wouldn't solve anything now. So she did the only thing that was applicable right now.

"I must go…" she said with tears welling in her eyes

Jaqueris let her pass because he wasn't sure on what he could do to that wouldn't be seen as a betrayal to Megan. So he watched her as she boarded the elevator. Their eyes met one last time before the doors closed on her.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was in his room throwing a ball high into the air before catching it again. His mind was blank as he tried to not think about his problems, they would only get him down. Deciding he needed some fresh air he went out to the balcony.<p>

The fresh air hit his face and it did something to calm his nerves if only slightly. Taking in a deep breath he looked up into the stars as if they would provide an answer.

"You know at times like this I really wished you did exist." He said to no one

As his chatter with celestial bodies ceased he felt an indescribable feeling come over him. It was concentrated from his front so he looked down to ground to try and find the source. After searching ever inch of the lawn he spotted someone.

It was a man with a hood over his face which was covered in a scarf hiding his mouth and nose. Only his dark eyes were visible. His hand was in pocket and was adorned in a sleeve that covered it completely. Thinking this kind of attire was strange for this time of the season he studied the man intently.

He didn't move and one might mistake him for a statue if they were not paying attention. But Jaqueris knew better, while he couldn't make out the man's features he could tell he was an older man. He seemed grizzled like he was a Vietnam veteran or something, but in either case he could tell the man had seen carnage. They stayed locked for a few minutes before Jaqueris was distracted by a voice.

"Hey, Jaqueris come down here!" called Josh

Jaqueris looked down at the boy, "What do you want Foley?" he asked with a sliver of anger slipping through

"I have a proposition for you?" he said cupping his hands to amplify his voice

Jaqueris looked back at the man who was supposed to be outside the gate, but found that he had completely disappeared. Mystified by his absence Jaqueris stared at the spot for a minute before Foley called him again.

Getting annoyed at the new mutants voice he floated down to him at ground level.

"This had better be good." He said landing

At that he sensed several people behind them including Sophia, David, Laurie, and the woman who was friends with Danielle Moonstar and Shan.

"Believe me it is." Said Josh smugly

* * *

><p>The band of mutants were now walking through town as they searched for their goal. It was a gloomy neighborhood the perfect place for a crime to be committed or for lowlifes to fester. But the group fit neither of these descriptions.<p>

"How do you even know she's in this area?" asked Jaqueris directing it at Josh

However it wasn't him that spoke up, but the redhead "Because I have experience with finding people." She said with pride

Jaqueris slanted his head in observation at the girl's confidence. She clearly was not green in the tracking business with the way she had answered him, "And you are?"

She looked at him with a positively, "Rahne Sinclair."

Jaqueris chuckled at her daring she obviously wasn't the reserved catholic girl that Josh had pegged her to be earlier. "Well, Rahne, where exactly are we going?"

She turned back to the front; "Joshua here" Josh grimaced at his new name "wants to find a homeless girl that ran away from him earlier. And the best place to do that is down by the river."

Falling silent at receiving his answer they continued to walk until David spoke up, "Do you guys see that?" he said pointing at the sidewalk

Everyone looked down at where he was pointing to find cracks in the pavement as well as running along the wall of the alley they were in. "We're definitely in the right place." He said

He then turned to his friend, "Jaqueris, can you sense where she is? She discharges electricity so you should be able to."

Jaqueris nodded his head and closed his eyes. He wasn't trained in sensing electrical impulses it normally it just happened. However when he closed his eyes and concentrated he began to see everything as an electrical aura. All of his friends around him were visible as well as the mass of homeless people surrounding them.

Extending his field further outward he came upon and extremely large signature of bioelectricity. It completely dwarfed his and the others combined. Opening his eyes he looked at them all.

"I found her, she's at the top of that hill." He said

"If you guys are looking for Surge be careful." Said a voice

The students and former students turned in the direction of the voice to find a disheveled homeless man lying against the wall.

"She's dangerous and will fry you if you're not careful." He continued

"We aren't here to hurt her." Said Sophia

The guy shook his head at their naiveté it would end up getting them hurt or worse, "Don't say I didn't warn you. She went up to Click to buy some pills."

The man then lowered his head and almost instantly snoring was heard indicating he was asleep. David and Jaqueris shared a look before departing towards the hill. Walking upwards was never an easy ordeal but luckily the hill wasn't too steep for them to climb.

"He said she went to buy some pills. Does that mean she's on something?" asked Laurie aloud

Jaqueris glowered at her assumption. He could feel the look that David was giving him on the back of his head. No doubt the incident involving Kick was still fresh in his mind.

"If that's true then it's probably why she has a hard time controlling her powers." Suggested Rahne

David then said something in Japanese which Jaqueris understood as, "You're probably right."

"What was that?" asked Josh

"Sorry, I probably picked it up from Surge." He said

Jaqueris was in front of everyone so he was the first to spot two figures on the hill. One was taller than the other and had a trench coat on. He recognized Surge from her messy hair and attire.

"There she is!" alerted Jaqueris as he sprinted in their direction

As he approached her he could feel that the massive energy that she held in her body had diminished by a great degree.

"Everyone keep your distance." Cautioned David

Josh turned to Sofia and spoke, "Don't let her take the pills, Sofia or else she might blow up again!"

"I got it." She said and a strong gust of wind picked up around them. Sophia expertly directed towards Surge and the man knocking the pills from her hands. Once they were in the air Jaqueris used his gravity power to pull them into his hand. He crushed them into dust to get rid of them.

"You damn muties! Ruining my deal!" cried Click

"Shut up before I burn your eyes out of their sockets." Jaqueris threatened he really hated drug dealers and their disregard for their customers well being.

Surge was on the ground holding herself when everyone walked towards her. Jaqueris was the closest so he knelt down beside her. She was shivering and even a blind man could tell she'd been through a rough patch. He put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Are you alright?" he asked

She muttered something inaudible so Jaqueris leaned closer to hear her, "What did you say?"

"ThepillsI need thepills." She said it so fast that her words ran together but Jaqueris was able to pick out "pills" and "need"

He was saddened at this noise; the girl seemed to be addicted to the drugs she was purchasing. His sadness hung in the air until the energy inside Surge began to rise dramatically. He could feel it in his head at first as a tingling until it spread throughout his skull.

"Back UP!" he yelled at the others pushing them back with a force blast

He stood up and backed away from Surge a few feet before she exploded in a storm of dangerous electricity.

* * *

><p>Phew, I'm glad I was able to fit that all in one chap. Per usual tell me what you guys think so I can adjust.<p> 


	17. Detention Conclusion

**Detention Conclusion**

* * *

><p>"Everyone get back!" ordered Jaqueris sending out a repulsive wave to force them to safety<p>

Surge was putting off extremely hazardous levels of electrical energy. It jumped and streaked through the air searching for a viable target. Unfortunately the only targets available for it to hit were the students of Xavier Institiute.

Jaqueris stood too close, for his own tastes, to the lethal light show occurring in front of him with the only thing shielding him was his forearm. This came about after Sophia had managed to separate Surge and her pills from one another which made Jaqueris think that wasn't such a good idea.

"Maybe getting those pills away from her was not such a good idea!" said Josh over the roar of the lightning

"No shit Sherlock!" Jaqueris yelled back he then refocused on Surge "Surge! You have to calm down, we're here to help you!" he appealed

"I can't!" she yelled back as the frequency of the energy she was releasing spiked. One bolt slipped by Jaqueris and was headed for Sophia who wasn't moving. Luckily David was there, "Look out!" he said while he tackled her to safety

Jaqueris stared back at Surge she didn't seem to be doing this on purpose because her face had a pained expression on it. However despite her intentions she was still putting everyone in danger with her display of power. Then Jaqueris mentally kicked himself when he thought, _"Wait, she's not the only one that controls electricity maybe I can…"_

Raising one hand he summoned his own current to it and as soon as he did the bolts from Surge redirected themselves and crashed into his palm. Seeing as he was getting somewhere he did the same thing with his other hand and was met with a similar result. Now the majority of the fatal streaks of lightning were flowing into his hands.

He could feel the energy pulsate through his body as he absorbed them into his cells. Due to the task of conveying the lightning to a safe destination Jaqueris didn't notice what was going on behind him. Laurie was holding her arm in pain while Rahne and Josh were trying to avoid the stray bolts that managed to sneak past Jaqueris.

Foley and Sinclair somehow made their way to the downed Laurie with David and Sophia coming up as well.

"Laurie, are you okay?" Josh asked

She nodded slowly, "Yeah, I just got hit." She moved her hand to reveal a scorch mark on her arm that had burned her skin

"Okay, I don't want to sound like I'm repeating Josh or anything, but taking those pills was definitely not a good idea. Maybe she wasn't using them like we thought, maybe that were actually helping her control her powers." Said David

A flash of energy shot over all their heads making them duck, "That's ludicrous, the only thing keeping us from being fried is your friend over there" Rahne said they all ducked again as another strike was sent their way "we have to take her down!"

As she finished her suggestion on handling the situation a blast of power struck her flinging her to the ground.

"Rahne!" called David

Jaqueris couldn't spare his attention to look back but he could tell something had happened when he heard David's voice increase in pitch. Whatever his friends were going to do they needed to hurry up because it was getting increasingly difficult holding back Surge's barrage. It was like she was a power plant with all this electricity. At first he could handle it but after a while the heat in his hands began to rise and he could feel his skin burning. He buckled slightly from the pain.

"We have to hurry! I don't think Jaqueris can keep this up for too long!" warned Sophia

David acknowledged her assessment and nodded in agreement, "You're right, the first thing we have to do is calm Surge down." He turned to Laurie "Laurie can you do that?"

"I'm not all that calm myself right now I..I'm not that sure…" she began to counter

"Listen, Laurie." Sophia cut her off "Just close your eyes and focus on something that is calm and serene."

Laurie was silent at this, it was very hard to try and visualize such a feeling when they were in danger of being cooked on the spot at any moment. She then looked at Jaqueris who was struggling to keep the brunt of Surge's attack away from them. By now he was on his knees and veins were popping in his head from the strain.

She looked over at Josh and smiled, "Okay, I'm ready."

"Okay, Sophia, you're going to help direct her pheromones towards Surge." David issued

Sophia showed she understood as David stood up to run behind Jaqueris.

The teen mutant was running on fumes now. It was becoming a hassle just to stop the energy from scorching him much less the others. Most of the arches had found their way past him and were striking the ground or flying away into the sky. He was about to collapse until he felt a presence behind him.

"Jaqueris, I need you to keep that up for another minute or so. We're working on a plan!" David relayed to him

Filling his second wind Jaqueris rose to his feet and attracted some more bolts to him, "Alright, but hurry David!" he said

By now Sophia was floating slightly above the heads of her friends awaiting Laurie's pheromones. Closing her eyes Laurie repeated to herself, _"I can do this."_ Before white wisps of her mutation floated into the air.

Taking this as her signal Sophia summoned a gust of wind that was strong enough to carry but not blow away Laurie's power. Aiming it over Jaqueris' head they arrived at their target, Surge.

"That's good just keep it up Laurie!" pushed Sophia

Laurie felt the firm pressure of Josh's hand as he grabbed hers in an encouraging way, "Come on Laurie, you're doing great!" With Josh's words of support she felt her heart jump a little which actually had a positive effect on her powers.

Jaqueris could feel the energy in Surge lose its power. If things kept at this pace she would be subdued in a manner of moments.

Initially, Surge's outward appearance showed no change, but as time passed her eyes began to lower and her shoulders slumped. It wasn't long before all the electricity dissipated and she fell forward on all fours.

Jaqueris lowered his hands as the energy disappeared inside his hands. David rushed past him to assist with the girl leaving his friend to fall to his knees. He stared at his charred mitts and groaned in pain. He then looked at the girl who had caused it and was reminded of what the Professor had told him the lack of control would bring. Deciding a better way to spend his time he began to heal his hands with the technique taught to him by Xorn.

David crouched down beside Surge and placed his hand slowly on her shoulder. Seeing that he didn't receive a shock he knew it was safe now, "Are you okay, Surge?"

The girl mumbled something prompting him to lean in some, "What was that?" he asked

The girl looked up into his eyes and said in a matter of fact tone, "My name…is Noriko Ashida…call me Nori." She informed

David smiled, "Well, Nori, my name's David Alleyne."

She didn't respond to his introduction because she fell to her side clearly exhausted.

Behind them Josh was walking up to a recovering Rahne who was still on the ground rubbing her head. Josh surveyed her and noticing the bare areas of her skin he also saw that her hand was burned.

"Hold still, I can help you." He said as he knelt to heal her

He was shocked at her reaction when she snatched her hand away from him, "You probably have to touch me and I'm not interested in little boys." She said

Josh scoffed at her audacity, "It's not like that." He then got up and walked over to Laurie and placed his hands on the area of her wound, "I'm a healer, see total meaningless contact." He said to her

Neither of them noticed the saddened expression that Laurie had when he said that. Josh because of ignorance and Rahne because she didn't care and had her arms over her eyes. She knew Josh's type, flirtatious smooth talkers, they seemed genuine on the outside, but their insides were an entirely different story.

She moved the fingers on her burned hand as she felt a lukewarm sensation come over it, "I thought I told you not to touch me!" she began to rebuke

She stopped however when she saw the black boy standing over her instead of Josh, "Relax I don't have to touch you to heal you." He said

Rahne jeered at him, but allowed him to continue his work. She watched as her body's healing ability was jumpstarted causing her hand to knit itself back together before her eyes.

"Thanks." She said looking her hand over front and back

Jaqueris nodded before he turned to see Sophia and David walking their way. David was carrying a fatigued Surge on his back.

"Do you think that's wise, to be carrying her like that? She might up and explode again and I don't think Foley or Jack over here can heal a pile of ash." Quipped Rahne standing up

Jaqueris raised his brow at his new nickname while Josh narrowed his eyes at Rahne.

"She's fine, there's no charge left in her body. At least none that I can see." Said Jaqueris

Rahne seemed to accept his observation as David began to walk ahead of them, "Let's get back to the Institute and see if Doctor McCoy can't help her out." He said

* * *

><p>Back in the Medical Lab of Xavier's which seemed to have an electrical problem because the lights were flickering; Noriko was lying on a bed with many wires attached to her body. Everyone that went to find her was present with an inclusion of Dr. McCoy. The Japanese girl was looking much cleaner now. Her hair was trimmed down to neck length and Sophia had given her some clothes to wear.<p>

Jaqueris was sitting down wiggling with his fingers. His hands had gone numb ever since their encounter with Nori at the hill he was hoping that constant motion would divert the blood flow back into his hands but to no avail so far.

"No matter how many mutations I see, I am always astounded by the new ones that appear." Said Beast

Curious eyes turned to face the mutant doctor as he began to explain, "It seems that you are constantly absorbing the electricity from nearby sources not unlike Mr. Malcolm here, but at a much more rapid and unstable rate. Which would explain the lights flickering."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, furball." Noriko snapped

"I prefer Dr. McCoy. Now we must figure out exactly how your mutation works in order for us to help you." Hank answered

Jaqueris observed the girl while they talked. He could tell she was headstrong and would say what was on her mind whatever it was putting her one bad fit away from the "B" word.

"No we don't, when my brain gets overcharged it operates too fast for me to control, but with the pills I can stop it." She said

At this implication of her addiction Jaqueris looked over at David who was looking at him as well. This girl was sort of what Jaqueris might've been if he'd continue to use the drug Kick. It was sad, really, to see someone feel as if they **needed **a drug to sustain themselves. However looking at Surge he realized how close he might've been to being the same way.

"Your powers helped to speed up your dependency on those pills, but you will not be allowed to use them here at the school." Reported Hank

Nori got an aggravated look on her face before turning to David, "Thanks for bring me here. I'm getting all the help you promised me." She said sarcastically she said getting off the bed and walking towards the door by Jaqueris

"Dr. McCoy is right, you know, you can't use those pills anymore." Said Jaqueris as she neared him

She looked down at him with the same look she gave David, "And what do you know?"

Jaqueris stood up and looked the girl in the eye; she definitely was a fiery one, "For one I know what it's like to not be in control, to be afraid that at any moment you could explode and hurt everyone around. If you don't want to stay, then fine leave. But if you're gonna use some pills as an excuse or some shield then maybe you don't belong here anyway." he admitted

Everyone in the room was staring at the two clashing personalities eager to see how the stubborn Nori would respond. After a few tense minutes David finally spoke up, "Look Nori, Jaqueris is right. We can't let you use those pills anymore, but we can teach you control."

Nori looked at him then back at Jaqueris and back at David, "Thanks Mr. After School Special." She said

Just then the door burst open as Dani Moonstar came inside, "What in the hell is going on here?" she demanded

All of the students turned their heads away from her as they had not been expecting her to show up so soon after bringing Surge back. Dani looked around the room like a predator waiting for someone to offer themselves up to her.

"Relax, Dani, we found the mystery girl it was no problem. You should've seen your students they were like a well oiled machine. I feel sorry for the bad guys when they become official X-Men. It'll be just like the old days when we were the New Mutant team." Praised Rahne

Dani wasn't as thrilled about her students activities as her old teammate seemed to be. Her disappointment was made clear in her next words, "They are not a team, they're high school students and my advisees." She then turned to the five "And as of right now they all have detention for a week starting tomorrow." She then turned to leave but stopped inside the door, "We'll talk outside Rahne."

Jaqueris could feel the irritation that everyone was feeling with this development so what Josh said next probably wasn't for the best.

"Well, I had detention anyway so they can just add it to my tab." He said cockily

Jaqueris wasn't interested in joking around at the moment, he had just been relieved of detention and now he had to attend it once more. Add to the fact that the one making the inappropriate joke was someone he disliked was all the reason more he was about to chew Josh out.

But for some reason he didn't. He felt tired all of a sudden and didn't think he had the strength to have a verbal showdown with Foley so he walked out. When he left he thought he heard David say something like, "This isn't funny!" to the boy, but whether he did or not Jaqueris really didn't care.

In the hallway he saw Rahne and Dani fussing with one another so he just passed them without a word. He had one another place he would rather be right now and knew conversation would only hold him up.

* * *

><p>Impressive musical tones rang through the air under the establishment that was the Xavier student. Anyone listening would think that a prodigal music player was practicing for an upcoming concert, but that was not the case.<p>

The only reason that such a wonderful tune was being played was because the one producing it was just bored out of his mind. He had been in this prison for at least three days now and had been stuck in his measly cell not allowed to even roam so he conjured up this trumpet to pass the time and luckily he had someone to listen to him play.

He stopped playing for a minute to think aloud, "Why haven't they come yet?" he said

The guard watching him quirked his eyebrow curiously, "What was that kid?" he asked even though he heard exactly what he said with his enhanced hearing

The boy looked at the feral mutant and decided to ignore his question, "What do you want to hear now?" he asked

Wolverine looked to the right as he thought about that question. So far the kid had managed to play every type of tune he had asked and play it well, "How about some more Jazz? Louis Armstrong would be nice." He proposed

The trumpeter nodded and was about to answer his audiences request when the door opened beside Logan and Jaqueris walked in. A frown stretched across Ja'Keyon's face when he saw him walk in.

The two stared at one another which Logan noticed, "I know that look, guess I'll leave you two to sort things out." He said before walking out

Jaqueris walked closer to the window and pulled out a honey bun, "I brought you something to eat. If the stuff they're feeding you is anything like the cafeteria food I know you must be starving."

Null eyed the bun suspiciously and wondered if he was trying to poison him, but he had to admit it did look good from right here and he was right about the food he was getting being crap.

The treat in Jaqueris' hand was wrapped in a swirl of purple light. It left his hand and reappeared in the hand of Null. He opened the wrapper and greedily indulged himself.

Sitting down in front of his brother Jaqueris said, "So that's your mutation, huh? What's it called?" he asked

Null swallowed the piece in his mouth and placed his trumpet on the ground, "I don't know "Manifestation", "Conjuring" I don't really name things like that. What do you think I am Ben 10?" he said as he took another bite out of his snack wondering how he even knew a show of that name

Jaqueris laughed at the joke, "No I guess not, Ja'Keyon, you always hated that show."

Null eyed him dangerously, "Don't call me that. My name is Null."

Jaqueris bit his bottom lip at this. Whoever had brainwashed him had made him resent his own name; he wondered what other things they did to his mind.

"Is that what they called you?" he asked a little ticked off

His brother finished the last of the honey bun and balled up the paper, "Well it is my name, what did you expect them to call me? Fred?"

He threw the wad in the corner and wiped his mouth with his hand. Jaqueris noted that despite his arguments to the contrary he still possessed some of his more "charming" traits evidenced by his casual throwing of paper even though there was no trash can in sight.

"What did they do to you?" Jaqueris asked

Null looked at him like he was retarded and got up to sit on his bed, "Why are you here? You want information? You wanna know who sent me to nab you or something?" he interrogated

It didn't make sense that this boy constantly came to his cell to just talk when he had tried to hurt him more than once now.

"You know I could've killed you." When he said this the boy looked shocked which made Null smile maybe now he would understand that he wasn't the person he thought he was, "Yeah, when you were at the docks in the Bronx. I had you right in my sights, but your little friend, the one who controls the wind; she threw my bullet off its path. If she hadn't I wouldn't be here right now and neither would you."

Null put his back on the wall, he was positive that the revelation that he had tried to kill him not once but twice would get him to go away permanently. His wishes were denied however when he just stared at him blankly and said,

"What brothers **don't** try to kill each other? I remember when you pulled a knife on me once because I wouldn't let you sneak out one night." He reminisced

Null growled at his response as he stood up from his bed, "What is your deal? Don't you get it I'm a killer! I'm not some long lost brother of yours that just showed back up in your life!" he said

Jaqueris stood up to argue but was stopped by Ja'Keyon's finger going into the air, "Hold that no doubt idiotic thought. I think my rides here."

"What?" Jaqueris asked

Without warning Ja'Keyon ran to his mattress and pulled it close to his body as the wall behind him exploded into many bits and pieces. Luckily, he had a mattress because several pieces of rubble hit his body.

Jaqueris stared in complete awe as men in combat attire stepped through brandishing automatic weapons with their faces covered with masks and headgear that allowed them to presumably replicate some of his vision powers.

"What took you guys so long?" Null questioned

"You know these guys?" asked Jaqueris, but he was ignored as his brother watched toward the hole in the wall

The door into the prison was kicked open as Logan entered with his claws extracted for all to see. He quickly assessed the situation and spotted the commandos inside the cell pointing their weapons at him. No doubt they knew that their weapons couldn't be fired inside the cell, but he was more focused on their gear.

Everything was state of the art and fully functional which only said one thing to him, "Kid, I want you to blow that glass away then shield yourself while I take these jokers out." Said the X-man

"Relax, Weapon X we don't need any unnecessary bloodshed here, now do we?" said an unfamiliar voice with a Greek accent

It was full of arrogance and hinted at an underlying bloodlust, but mostly just arrogance, it belonged to a tall brown haired man with glasses. He was in a lab coat of all things during a breakout attempt. He had his hands in his pocket and was smiling with conceit further proving the fact that he was egotistical.

"Caduceus, they sent you of all people?" Said Null with a scathing tone

"Nice to see you too my little charge." He said pinching his cheek in old lady fashion

Null knocked his hand away in disgust, "Let's just get out of here before we have a whole school of mutants after us."

Caduceus said nothing as he stepped to the side to allow his objective to walk by.

"Kid, stop gawking and clear out that damn glass!" ordered Logan one last time

Without a second thought Jaqueris pointed his hand out forward and shattered the blockade into little shards. The creepy scientist stopped and looked at this, "Open fire." He said calmly

The two soldiers obeyed and sprayed their guns in the direction of the two mutants. Jaqueris did as Logan suggested and brought up a shield around him. He was about to do the same for his teacher until he did the opposite of what any sane man would do, he leapt into the gunfire to get to the ones shooting.

The bullets tore into his body spraying blood into the air and onto the floor, but Logan didn't care as he let out a guttural roar and slice the weapon of one of his enemies in half. Before he could react Logan drove his claws into the chest of the combatant. He made a gurgling sound and held onto Logan's wrist before Wolverine pulled out his hand letting his body hit the floor.

"Oh yes, how could I forget? You have that annoying healing factor don't you?" Logan ignored his knowledge of his abilities and moved towards him while his guard was reloading "But that doesn't really matter does it?"

At that Logan collapsed to the floor and began to writhe in agony. His body began to contort and jerk wildly. This only worsened as foamy spit began to pour out of his mouth.

"My, my little bit of a massive stroke and you go down for the count. Tch tch how the mighty have fallen." He mocked

Seeing as his teacher was in trouble Jaqueris began to advance when he met the eyes of the good doctor. In them all he saw was a sadistic glee at the pain he was causing hidden by the serene expression on his face.

"I can't have you trying to stop us, now can I?" he said lowering his glasses

Under his gaze Jaqueris felt his stomach lurch so painfully that he fell to his knees. He keeled over and vomited all over the floor. He let out another wave of bile as the ache in his gut intensified. Looking up at the smiling scientist he could tell he was responsible and like a true sadist was thoroughly enjoying this.

"That would be a bad case of Gastric cancer." He said wiping his glasses

Null looked at the boy as he struggled to keep from falling. Caduceus always liked to play with his victims in a sick roundabout way he should know. He'd been stricken by enough of his afflictions to get an accurate read on his twisted fetish.

"Let's go Cad. We don't have time to play your stupid games." Null urged

The man titled his head the two mutants he had debilitated so easily, "Alright let's get back to base. We don't want to keep the old farts waiting."

He then turned and walked down the tunnel that ran into the prison. The lone guard followed him but kept his back to the two on the ground.

Null gave one last look at the boy that kept calling him "brother". Null met his pained bulging bloodshot eyes and for the briefest of moments something tugged at him to help him.

However he had been trained not to act on such dangerous impulses so he silently bed the boy adieu and followed after his rescuer.

* * *

><p>I know this was a short chapter, but I was not going to try and squeeze everything in at once. So tell me what you guys think and the<p>

Caduceus guy was an OC which I used with permission from Wolfdude131.


	18. Brotherhood

**Brotherhood**

* * *

><p><strong>Early in the Morning<strong>

**Location: Unknown**

Null was standing up inside the escape helicopter that the organization had used to release him from his prison. He was surprised at the lack of manpower use in this operation, at current there were only two soldiers on the plan, not counting himself and Caduceus. He eyed the mad scientist with contempt.

He normally he didn't have an opinion of people because usually he didn't care enough to form one, but Caduceus was an exception. The man was a pig-headed narcissus who delighted in the suffering of others. Now Null enjoyed handing out ass cuttings as much as the next guy, but Cad would do it just for the hell of it. He was called in only when they needed some of the more inhumane jobs handled. He could only imagine how fucked up his childhood was to produce such a monster.

"Well, that went very smoothly, don't you think?" he said happily

A random soldier looked at him like he was crazy, "Uh…sir we lost more than half of our squadron."

Caduceus looked at him with the same expression as if he didn't hear the man, "Like I said, "smoothly". Besides those men knew the risks going in." he said nonchalantly

The man seemed to catch a glimpse of what Null already understood Caduceus to be and turned his body away from him.

"Cad, why did they send you?" questioned Null

The sadist put on another facetious smirk and turned to the boy, "Well, you're one of the organizations prized possessions. They couldn't let you just walk away." He said putting his hand on Null's shoulder

He hated when the man touched him, in fact he'd rather be jabbed by a hot poker than feel his cold fingers on his skin. Moving his shoulder away from his hand he continued to seek answers, "No I meant why you specifically. I mean despite your "quirks" you're still a scientist."

Caduceus put both hands over his chest as if he'd been shot, "Oooooh, you hurt my heart. Are you implying that I can't handle myself?" he said sitting back down " I think you need a quick reminder."

With this the soldier sitting beside him began to cough. At first it was a simple cough that drew no attention, but it soon escalated into a contingent of whooping coughs making the man fall to his knees.

Null turned back to watch the man as he began to choke. Looking at the one causing this he saw the cruel scientist smile as the man suffocated.

"Jesus Christ, Cad, I get it alright!" said Null

With this the soldier stopped coughing and began to catch his breath. He rose up woozily and made sure not to sit back by the evil man.

"You're a sick man, Cad." Said Null

The Greek said nothing just looked at Null and gave him that masking smile he used so very often. Null tittered at his reaction; he could be over dramatic at times too. He was just ready to return home, be assigned another mission, and forget about his extended stint at the Xavier mansion.

"_Home. Yeah that sounds good right about now." he thought_

* * *

><p>Back at the Institute, Jaqueris was lying asleep in the Medical Lab. Megan was sitting at his bedside holding his hand with a sad look on her face. They had been attacked by some weird guys with guns last night. The senior X-Men had been able to drive them off, but they had not prevented Jaqueris from being hurt.<p>

Dr. McCoy was checking some X-rays on a screen to try and confirm what his problem was. His condition was much more stable than when they found him face down in a puddle of bile in the lower levels. Logan had recovered much faster due to his superior healing factor, but the young student had yet to awaken.

The door opened as Jaqueris' friends walked inside. David, Sophia, and Laurie all had a look of worry on their faces.

"Hey, Megan." Said Sophia

"Hi." She answered in a small voice

"How is he doing?" asked Laurie

Hank thought this the proper time to intervene and explain the situation, "He's recovering. Even with his accelerated healing factor it will take more than a few hours to mend from stomach cancer. Which reminds me I must retrieve something." He then excused himself from the room leaving the teens to themselves

David looked at his friend's sleeping form and wondered who could've done this to him. He was no pushover and could handle as much damage as he could dish out. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened once again.

Noriko walked inside outfitted with the new bulky gauntlets that Beast had crafted for her to regulate her powers. The group stared at her as she stood in the doorway save for Megan who was still focused on Jaqueris.

"What?" she asked in a confrontational tone

Everyone turned their heads in the other direction either submitting to her aggressiveness or not wanting to put in the effort to confront her head on. Well everyone except David, "We just didn't expect you to come here, is all."

Nori crossed her arms and sized him up; she could tell by his look that he was judging her as if his presumptuous comment wasn't enough to confirm it, "I didn't expect any of you to be in here. I just came because…I wanted to thank Jaqueris for saving me." She explained

The four people involved in the Surge incident took notice of her exclusion of their involvement in her rescue, but only David answered once more, "You know we kinda helped too." He said

He didn't say it because he wanted credit or anything especially not from her, but she seemed to only include Jaqueris out of spite, but for whom or what reason exactly he didn't know. In any case his retort earned him a piercing look from the Japanese girl.

"Beggars can't be choosers." She said

David gritted his teeth at this, this girl was insufferable not only was she ungrateful to the ones that had saved her from a life on the streets, but she had a snarky attitude on top of it. He was about to go off on her verbally when the door opened behind her to show that Josh was coming in.

"Josh!" said Laurie with a little bit more spunk than she had anticipated

"Foley." Said David with all the scorn that he intended

The two had a verbal fight the other night concerning their detention. Josh had shown a casual disregard for the punishment despite that it came at the expense of everyone and not just him. This led into an oral squabble between the two which ended when Josh stated, "I guess I can never be apart of your little group."

David coldly agreed to his notion to which Josh left the room. Things were obviously still sour between them so it was a mystery as to why he was here now.

"Hey." He said to no one in particular as he walked past Nori to the bed Jaqueris was lying in

David stopped his advance by stepping in his way, "Come on David. You know I'm a healer, that's why I came here. I heard about Jaqueris last night so I decided to see if I can help."

Megan looked up for the first time when she heard this, "You can help him?" she asked hopefully

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot." He said

Looking David in the eye they both stared into each other's orbs with tenacious vigilance. Finally Sophia stopped the struggle by placing her hand on David's shoulder and saying, "David, what's the worst that can happen?"

The young black boy listened to his friend, he definitely wanted Jaqueris to be alright and Foley more than likely could assist his healing process, so eventually he relented, "Go ahead."

Moving out of the way he heard Surge say, "That's really grown up of you Mr. Judgemental." Alleyne ignored her comment as he watched Josh place his hands over Jaqueris' torso. A yellow light emitted from his hands as the curative effect began to take place.

Every person in the room looked on with anticipation as Josh did his duty. Megan squeezed Jaqueris' hand even tighter to the point that if he was awake he would rescind from the pressure.

As Josh's healing ability spread throughout his body, Jaqueris' eyes clenched before beginning to open slowly.

"He's waking up!" Said Megan

"Yeah, just tell him not to move I still haven't…." Josh was stopped when Jaqueris grabbed his neck with one hand. Pulling his other from Megan's hold he ignited an energy blade resembling a katara dagger over his hand and held the tip an inch from Foley's face.

Shock ran through everyone's face as they watched the potentially dangerous scene. Jaqueris' eyes drilled into the former Reaver and for a minute everyone thought he was going to insert a new hole into the head of Josh until.

"Foley?" Jaqueris said in recognition

The blade died down and disappeared into his hand as Jaqueris let go of his fellow student. He sat back against the wall and tried to collect himself. For a moment no one dared to approach him for fear of being on the receiving end of another outburst, but soon Megan spoke up.

"Jaqueris, are you alright? What happened to you?"

He looked her in the eyes, but didn't actually see her. "Where is my brother?" he said ignoring her question

Once more everyone was at a loss for Jaqueris' actions. From what they knew the only brother he had mentioned had died along with the rest of his family, except for Nori who had no prior knowledge of his familial situation.

Jaqueris' eyes darted around the room frantically trying to locate his sibling, but he already knew he wasn't here. "I have to talk to Wolverine." He said getting out of bed

"Wait, I wasn't finished healing you yet." Josh warned

Jaqueris didn't listen to him, but when he tried to stand he was halted by a sharp pain in his abdomen. He would've fallen to the ground if it weren't for David and Sophia.

"Jaqueris, don't overexert yourself." Cautioned Sophia

"Yeah, Doctor McCoy said it's going to take a while for you to heal from your stomach cancer." Inserted Laurie

Jaqueris looked up with one eye closed due to the pain and separated from the hands of his friends. "I don't have time to sit in this bed, I have to find Ja'Keyon."

As he walked towards the door he saw that Noriko was standing in his way and it didn't look like she intended to move without incentive, "Move Surge, I don't have time for this."

The blunt young woman gave him an unwavering gaze, "You're hurt you should lie down before you give yourself an ulcer." She said it more as an order than anything else

Jaqueris would've laughed at her in-your-face mentality, but he was not in the proper disposition for that at the moment, "Thanks for your concern, but I'll manage."

He then brushed past her, "Idiot." He heard Noriko say

He didn't really care what anyone thought of him right now, the only thing on his mind was the abduction of his little brother and the ominous doctor that had presumably led the charge.

When he walked out of the door Megan flapped her wings and rose from her seat, "I'll take care of him." She said following him out of the door

* * *

><p>Wolverine, Mirage, and Cyclops were sitting on opposite sides of a long table in the teachers' lounge. Scott had a bandage over his cheek a resultant of a minor injury he received during the fight last night.<p>

"It doesn't make any sense, why attack us head on like that? There was no misdirection or sabotage involved just a mindless charge." He said squeezing his knuckles

Logan had his index and middle fingers on his forehead as he had a slight headache, probably caused by that crazy doctor from last night, "But that's the thing Summers, the whole fight was misdirectin'. Misdirectin' us from what they really came for last night."

Scott raised a brow at this, he prided himself on being able to deduce an enemy's motive behind an attack, but Logan seemed to have a deeper understanding than he on this foe.

"What exactly do you mean, Logan?" Dani asked

The feral mutant put his hand on the table and looked at them both, "Before I took an extended trip into dreamland, a couple of spooks and what looked like a doctor broke into the prison and snatched up our little home invader." He divulged

Dani and Cyclops had not been privy to this information because they had not been the ones to locate Logan or Jaqueris, that honor went to Colossus when he had come to relieve Wolverine of his guard duty. Imagine his surprise when he found the unconscious forms of one of the most dangerous mutants on the planet and a young ward of the school.

Thanks to his healing factor, Logan recovered in about 30 minutes but it took longer for him to form a coherent sentence. Hank explained that the stroke had damaged a portion of his brain corresponding with speech. He was now back in top form save for a minor headache.

"Were you able to identify them?" asked Scott

Logan nodded, "A.I.M, they're a band of geeks who want to see that all organized governments in the world crumble to their tech."

Scott absorbed this information hungrily but made no outward facial changes while Dani furrowed at the emergence of this new terrorist group.

"What did they want with the boy?" asked Dani further

Logan sighed at this, he didn't really like the answer because of how depraved it was, but it was the truth and it needed to be known, "He might've been one of their newest experiments. A.I.M. wasn't gonna sit around while one of their "projects" went off the grid like he did."

The two saw Logan's frustration as he discussed the boy's involvement with A.I.M. They understood his anger as he had been a guinea pig of the clandestine organization called Weapon X. Even now the things he endured at their hands haunted him on nearly a daily basis forming his loner persona.

"Alright, we'll need to assemble a team to…" before Scott could finish the door to the lounge opened wildly.

Jaqueris, in a hospital gown, stood holding his stomach, panting, and sweating slightly. "Do you know where my brother is?" he asked almost immediately

The three weighed their options if they told him that they hadn't located his family the boy would certainly go in frenzy and provide an unnecessary commotion that would only distract them longer from finding him, but lying was never a good thing with youths. However he did not have to know the exact nature of the situation.

"Jaqueris, you should be in bed, resting!" said Danielle standing up

"Forget about that! I **need** to find my brother!" he argued

Scott didn't say anything but he actually sympathized with the boy; he had a brother as well and remembered the jubilation he felt when he found him after all those years and the profound sadness when they had to separate again. Despite this he had an obligation as a leader of the X-men and he intended to carry it out.

"We are working on it, Jaqueris. Emma is having difficulty locating him with Cerebro while the Professor is away. So in the meantime I ask that you be patient." Scott said

Jaqueris took a deep breath as a pang of discomfort swam through his stomach he then said in as calm a voice as possible, "Why not question some of those soldiers?"

At this time Megan and the New Mutants came up behind Jaqueris as he slumped backwards into the arms of the fairy girl.

"This is crazy. Josh can you heal him?" Said Dani walking over to her advisee

Megan held him up with the help of David as Josh began to cure him of his affliction once again. Jaqueris breathed audibly as the pain in his stomach began to subside. Soon the twinge was completely gone and he could stand up on his own.

Slowly releasing himself he turned back to Scott Summers who said, "All of the soldiers that were captured self-detonated. The only one we do have here is…not able to help us at this moment."

Logan knew he was talking about the lone soldier he had managed to kill in the prison area last night and turned to see the response of Jaqueris.

Disheartened he dropped his head a little prompting Cyclops to walk over and place his hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's hard, but you have to b patient. The X-Men **do not **turn their back on their backs on their own kind. We will find your brother, I promise." He said

Jaqueris lifted his head and looked the man in the eyes, "I think I can help."

* * *

><p>Null woke up to the sound of their chopper landing at the base. They had flown through the night with the intention of making it back to the base in as short of time as possible. Rubbing his eyes he sort of wished they would've taken longer, it had been a long time since he actually got a good rest.<p>

"Come on sleepy head. The bee keepers are waiting." Said Caduceus as the hatch opened at the rear of the vehicle

Containing his eagerness he stepped outside to the chilly air of the mountainous region. It was especially cold due to the fact that he had not changed out his prison garb from the institute which was thin and barefooted. The icy rocks beneath his feet tinkled his toes as he basked in the familiar territory.

"I'm home." He said smiling

"Yes, and it's good to have you back, but the brass wants to see you." Said the Greek pointing in the direction of the base

Null sighed at having his reminiscing ruined by time constraints. He took one last deep breath of the cool air before turning to go inside.

The base was very _clean_ as Null described it. There were a plethora of people mostly scientists, but a fair share of soldiers as well. The lighting in the place was not the brightest, when he asked about this once he was rebuffed with "Scientists don't need light, to think." However there were a few lights with differing colors identifying specific rooms such as red for the mess hall.

The atmosphere of the place was very similar to the outside environment it was located in. Perhaps that's why this locale was chosen as a base of operations in the first place. Most of the scientists and soldiers here were as frigid as ice, unfeeling about anything except their work, but there were a few who managed to retain their humanity in such an inhuman environment.

"Null." Said a soft and motherly voice

Jaqueris saw who it originated from, a young purple haired woman, curvy with soft skin, full lips and hazel eyes. Standing beside her was a man in his early to mid thirties he wore square-rimmed glasses; his hair was brown like Caduceus. If one looked closely they would also see that the two scientist facial structure bore a remarkable resemblance.

"Hello, big brother." Said Caduceus

The man sighed at his brother, "Hello, Cad, I'm glad to see you returned." When he said this Null wasn't quite sure if he meant it or was just saying it to be polite.

He didn't respond to the declaration of concern by his sibling and instead turned to the attractive women beside him, "Maria, it is always a pleasure to see you." He said grabbing her hand and planting a kiss

The other two males present rolled their eyes at this display of outdated chivalry. The recipient of this gesture however had a more intense effect than the others, but her feminine ways prevented her from expressing them adequately, "It's…nice to see you too, Caduceus."

The man let go of her hard and looked back at his brother, "Shall we get on with this?"

Nodding Stevens turned and walked towards the end of the hall. As they all followed Null received nasty looks from all the yellow NBC-suited technicians. He didn't particularly care, he knew how humans felt about mutants especially the ones they could not hurt. Caduceus had never voiced his opinion on human/mutant relation, but was sure he felt the same way.

Stevens stopped at a door and pulled a keycard from his pocket. The light above the door turned green as he drove his card through the reader. It slid open to reveal a dark room with a laptop sitting on a table and a chair in front of it.

Stevens turned to face Null, "They want you to sit down."

Making no reply he walked into the room and sat in the chair provided, he heard the footsteps of the scientists enter behind him as the door closed. The room was now completely dark now besides the small light given off by the screen of the computer. Null hated that part, but watched as a logo of A.I.M. flashed across the screen.

"_How dramatic." _He thought

Soon a silhouetted Caucasian man appeared dressed in a clean cut three piece yellow suit. Null could also tell that he wore glasses despite not being able to see the features of his face. When he finally spoke it was filled with conviction, but was deep and low showing that it was being electronically altered.

"Null, it is good to see that you have returned from your extended trip at the Xavier Institute." He said

Null pulled up the corner of his mouth as a smirk formed, "Yeah, you know got a tan, met some new people, that sort of thing."

Stevens frowned at his charges childish retort to such an influential man in A.I.M. Maria gave him a meaningful shoulder squeeze to tell him to watch his tongue. Caduceus watched silently which was rare.

The man disregarded his comment altogether as he said, "In any case now that you have returned its time for the second stage of your training to commence."

The two benevolent scientists frowned as they knew what this meant and the risks involved, but were unable to say anything. The other scientist in the room let a wide smile brim across his face as he too knew what was about to happen.

"A tissue sample of a being with extraordinary regenerative capabilities will be inserted into your brain. Caduceus will be overseeing your operation while Dr. Stevens and Gale will be your MD's." said the man

Null was no fool the fact that MD's even required, much less two, the operation had a high mortality rate. Also the fact that inserting a foreign bodily structure into a body ran the risk of having said body reject the unfamiliar resulting in the death of the unfortunate beneficiary.

"How many?" asked Null

Despite his face being obscured he could tell the high ranking official raised his brow in a questioning manner.

"How many subjects has this "operation" had and how many attempts have been successful!" he continued

Everyone went silent under his inquiry, the handlers of Null knew the exact number of participants in as well as the grim survival percentage, but were once again forbidden from divulging any crucial information to him. This killed Stevens and Gale, but Caduceus was just fine with his orders.

The man on the screen leaned forward as he began to answer his question, "Ask yourself this. Do you really want to know? Ja'Keyon." His face then blinked off the screen leaving an irritated Null staring at the screen.

That was the second time someone had called him by that name and he was growing impatient at its growing usage. His frustration was momentarily extinguished when he felt those clammy hands on his shoulder.

"Relax, Null, I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Said Caduceus with the darkness covering his face and Null noticed how much like a demon he resembled.

* * *

><p>Cyclops pulled out the compartment holding the body of the soldier. Jaqueris was still dressed in his hospital gown due to the haste he used to get there to see the body. Dani, Wolverine, and Megan (who had insisted on going) were there as well. The rest of the New Mutants were sent back to class by Dani.<p>

"Here it is kid, as dead as he was yesterday." Said Logan

Jaqueris observed the man, paying extra attention to the three stab wounds in his chest. The man was young and one could gander a guess at him being in his mid twenties. He had rusty orangish colored hair and his skin was ghostly pale on account of his blood having been drained.

"Now what do you plan on doing exactly?" asked Danielle

Jaqueris looked at her with a sheepish grin, "Actually I have no idea." He said rubbing the back of his head

Sighs ran through the place as everyone voiced their exasperation at his admittance. Megan more so because she half expected to see something cool.

"Alright, let's get back." She then turned to Jaqueris "And I want you back in bed."

Jaqueris however didn't seem to be listening as he stared deeply at the cadaver. He felt a strange compulsion urging him to make contact with the body.

"Jaqueris, did you hear me?" Dani repeated

Ignoring her words and embracing his newfound necrophilia, Jaqueris placed his palm on the icy forehead of the man. Instantly Jaqueris' eyes lit up with a blue light as he could feel the energy from him flow into the lifeless body.

_Soon he found that he was no longer looking threw his own eyes. His out of body experience felt like he had just smoked a buttload of marijuana. Also the things he was seeing were not his own._

_He was in the prison below the Xavier Institute aiming at Logan. The man in the white coat was standing beside him and he knew he was an asshole. Suddenly the glass in front of him shattered as Wolverine pounced._

_Fear rushed through his body as the mutant wielded his razor sharp claws. He opened fire and was relieved when he managed to score a direct hit. This was short lived however when he saw Wolverine slice his weapon in half like a thin sheet of paper and impale him in the chest. The pain might have been happening in the present because that was how Jaqueris felt before darkness overtook him._

_After this memory Jaqueris quickly came to the conclusion that he was relieving the most recent memories of this man._

_A flash occurred and the next thing Jaqueris saw was the inside of a helicopter. Caduceus was standing up and saying, "Our target is Null. The first squad will provide a distraction while the second supports me in retrieving the package." He informed loudly _

_The familiar emotion of anger flared up when Null's name was mentioned either he was a bigot or personally didn't like his brother._

_Another flash, he was sitting at a table in front of a dark haired man with matching eyes. He was wearing a yellow suit with the helmet that a bee hive master would use, though it was on the table. He felt a strong sense of camaraderie as he watched the man._

"_You know they're shipping us out soon. Looks like their prized experiment has gone off the grid." The ebony haired man said taking a bit out of his sandwich._

"_That's fine it's not like Crested Butte has anything interesting to do." Said the orange haired man_

With this the memory ended and Jaqueris found himself looking through his own eyes again. He let out a held breath and stepped back a little, the experience has startled him. After all looking through a dead man's eyes was not an event one would expect to do in the morning.

"Jaqueris are you okay?" asked Cyclops

He nodded but didn't face him, "Ja'Keyon is in Crested Butte, Colorado. The guy who took him is named Caduceus he works for some group called A.I.M." he revealed

The adults were confused as to how he obtained this information when he did not possess telepathy and even then psionics were ineffective after the subject had been dead for as long as the man. The answer didn't matter however as they now had a lead on where Ja'Keyon was headed.

"Logan, you're going to gather a team together and rescue Ja'Keyon from A.I.M." relayed Cyclops

"Well, seein' as this is a terrorist group I know Laura's going with me." He said

Megan frowned when the clone's name was mentioned, but Jaqueris did not notice this as he began to speak, "I'm coming too!" he interjected

This earned him a glare from Megan that screamed bloody murder.

"No you're not! You just recovered from stomach cancer; will it take the bubonic plague to dissuade you?" Danielle questioned

Jaqueris looked at the woman squarely and in the most respectful tone possible said, "With all due respect, Ms. Moonstar, no matter what you say I'm going. I lost my brother before and it's not going to happen a second time."

Danielle was appalled at his audacity, but saw the determination in his eyes and turned to Cyclops for backup. She was expecting to get Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men; instead she got Scott Summers, big brother of Alex Summers.

"Alright, but you will follow Wolverine's instructions to the letter. No blind heroism, do you understand?" he explained

"Cyclops!" cried Danielle

Ignoring her outburst the ruby quartz wearing mutant looked at Logan, "Who else do you need?"

Logan moved his jaw around as he thought, "A healer would be nice so Warren…"

"Isn't here." Finished Cyclops

Putting his head behind his head and scratching, Logan eyed Danielle. He already knew she would object to what he was about to say.

"Well, the only other option is Foley."

The response was instantaneous as Dani began her confrontation with her teammate, "Are you insane? These are children, they are not like us. You shouldn't be putting them in such dangerous situations and expect them to succeed with flying colors, it doesn't work like that." She said passionately

"I'm quite aware of that Danielle." Said Cyclops calmly

"Are you sure about that?" she asked eyeing him dangerously

The tension mounted as their philosophies clashed with neither wanting to back down. Logan sighed and walked towards the stairs leading to the exit.

"While you two are busy arguing, I'm gonna go put that team together to save a teenage mutant from having his life ruined by some whack jobs in beehive suits." He said almost sage-like

With this the two strong minded adults remembered the reason they had allied themselves with the Institute in the first place. It was to aid mutants who were being oppressed and abused by a world that feared them. It was ironic that it was Wolverine to remind them of that given his less than vocal feelings concerning the "Dream".

"Fine, you can take Josh, but I'm going too." Said Danielle

Logan shrugged as he walked up the stairs, "Alright, kid, you said you were coming, right? So let's go your brother isn't going to save himself."

Jaqueris smiled at Wolverine's words.

* * *

><p>Logan, Danielle, and Jaqueris were in the hanger holding the X-Men's Blackbird. It was a massive plane with a wing span of about 88 feet and the length at 62 feet. It stood at 19 feet tall and Jaqueris didn't even want to think about how much it weighed.<p>

"Woah." Was all Jaqueris could muster looking at the marvelous aircraft

To think the X-men had something like this at their sublevels was simply astonishing, and he wondered what others secrets were under the public face of the school.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing when I saw it." Said Logan walking past him towards the plane as a ramp lowered with Danielle following behind

The two teachers were dressed in flamboyant outfits. Wolverine was wearing a getup with a yellow and blue color scheme; it featured blue gloves, trunks, shoulder pads and winged-boots with a red belt over a yellow spandex body suit highlighted with tiger stripes. The cowl had had "wings" that ran above his head all the way down to his jaw line. His eyes also seemed to be eerily white which Jaqueris didn't know if it was the mask or something else.

Danielle had a much less ostentatious look, but still noticeable. It was a yellow and black spandex outfit with long sleeves. The gloves and boots were yellow as well as the midline of the torso running from her neck to her crotch. The rest of the area was black.

Jaqueris wondered if such outfits made them easier targets before he heard two pairs of footsteps behind him. He found they belonged to Laura and Josh Foley. Josh was looking in awe at the spectacular plane in front of him while Laura stared straight ahead seemingly unimpressed with the sight.

What was strange, however, was that when Jaqueris tried to meet her gaze she avoided it. This was even stranger when she walked right past him without so much as a "Hi." He watched her strut past him as she walked up the ramp.

Josh came up beside him and said, "What was up with that?"

Jaqueris breathed out audibly and said, "My fault."

He then walked towards the entrance of the plane. Entering inside he was greeted with a darkened space with a small light originating from over the pilot and copilot's seats. There was an overabundance of nobs and levers that he wasn't going to try and figure out what they were for. Wolverine and Dani seemed to know these answers though as they moved their hands in an almost choreographed way.

Laura was sitting in a seat that was right behind Dani and her progenitor putting her back to the two teens entering the bird.

"Take a seat you two we're about to take off." Said Dani

Josh and Jaqueris obliged and sat then buckled up, "Well, this is comfy." Said Josh

"Wolverine." Said Laura

"I know." Said Logan without turning around

As the sound of the engine came to life Jaqueris expected a loud roar to accompany it, but all he got was a soft rattle as a huge door opened in front of the Blackbird. The bright light of the sun shined through making Josh cover his eyes from the slight pain. Logan eased forward on the controls making the plane move in that direction slowly.

After a few very short moments at a snail's pace the plane picked up speed, the plane picked up speed on the monorail. Once it reached top speed it jettisoned from the hanger into the air. Jaqueris noted how similar take off and the rise on a roller coaster felt. That feeling in your gut made you fearful but excited at the same time.

Turning in her chair, Dani looked at Josh and Jaqueris with two piles of clothes in her arm, "Alright you two, the first order of business is to get you out of those clothes." She said throwing them both the outfits

Josh and he looked at them with uncertainty the look was…strange as an understatement. Noticing this Danielle said, "You want to be X-Men; you've got to wear the uniform." She said

"Don't forget the codenames either." Said Wolverine

Dani nodded as she remembered one of the most integral parts of being an X-Man, "Yes, in the field you will not refer to each other by your given names. Instead Mirage" she pointed at herself "Wolverine" pointing at Logan "and X-23." Finally landing on Laura

The two boys got the hint and Jaqueris began to think of what he could call himself. It had to be something that described him, but was easy to remember.

"Elixir. You know because I can heal and stuff." Said Josh smiling

"Very creative, Foley." Said Wolverine his voice dripping with sarcasm

Josh gave him a look that he wouldn't dare try if he could see him. Dani turned to Jaqueris expecting a name for himself. He continued to think on it.

"_I control radiation so why not Rad? No that's stupid I'd sound like some skater punk. Pulse? No, but I liked the sound of that." _He thought

His mind went back to the times he displayed his power. He remembered controlling Barry, shocking those Reavers, and flying with Megan, but the most profound recall was the night his family was killed. The bright light still was burned into his mind.

"Nova." Jaqueris said and for some reason he felt that the name just fit.

Dani nodded, "Alright from here on out, when we are in the field you two will be called "Nova" and "Elixir"."

The two beamed at their new codenames, they had to admit it was like they were actually superheroes now with their alter egos. Remembering however that they both had to change and he only spotted one bathroom Jaqueris rose up quickly.

"I call the bathroom." He said to Foley

"No fair!" yelled Foley

As Jaqueris went in the direction of the restroom he heard Laura say, "Logan."

"I know." He answered in repetition

He conjectured as to what they two were talking about but suspended it from his mind when he heard a thump from the bathroom followed by a small "Ouch." Slowly opening the door he was met with that unforgettable pink hair as she fell to the floor

A louder "Ouch" escaped from her lips this time as Jaqueris stared down.

"Megan?" he said

Up at the pilot seat Logan was silently chuckling to himself, "Man, this is gonna be good."

* * *

><p>Whew that was a doozy to write. I hope my loyal readers enjoy this chap and review so I can get started on the next one.<p> 


	19. Brotherhood Part 2

**Brotherhood Pt. 2**

* * *

><p>Maria watched from the observatory room of the surgery department her dark eyes scanning; Null was placed on the bed where they would begin in a few moments. To combat her inner discomfort she was lightly biting her finger as she squeezed her elbow tightly.<p>

"You should relax; all that stress will ruin your lovely complexion." Said a lusty voice

The female scientist looked to find Caduceus moving towards her with that overconfident gait. She did not really favor the man less so because of his personality than his actions, but she was sure his personality was nothing to brag about either. It was so strange that despite he and Lysander being brothers they were like night and day when it came to character.

"I can't help it. You know the risks, the Hulk's bodily tissues are radioactive and all of the subjects so far have died the moment they were implanted with it." She expressed worriedly

He walked up beside her and she subconsciously leaned away from him, but whether he didn't notice or didn't care was lost to her as he said callously, "That is unfortunate, if he were to die, I would lose my favorite little experiment."

She gave him a look of completed disdain, "He is **not** an experiment! He's a human being and a teenage boy at that!" she lectured

Caduceus wasn't affected by her outburst and looked at her calmly, "You know as well as I do that, that's not true. The time he's spent in the World as accelerated his aging, physically he's 16, but chronologically he's still 11."

Maria was about to continue her verbal assault on the cold man, but was stopped by the much more bearable voice of Lysander, "Maria, I need you down here."

Looking at her partner then back at his brother she huffed before heading out of the door. As she walked away from him Caduceus thought, _"Was it something I said?"_

Null was lying on a medical bed with his arms and legs braced by brown leather straps as he was prepped for the operation. Typical of this surgery Null had not been allowed to eat after midnight of last night and was required to empty his colon and cleanse his intestines. Maria had managed to snag him a chocolate laxative so that the process would be somewhat enjoyable.

There was a harness that would prevent his head from making any unneeded jerking motions while the surgery was performed. The boy moved his jaw around while clenching and unclenching his hands.

"Talking helps to ease your nervousness." Said Stevens

"What makes you think I'm nervous?" countered Null quickly

Lysander looked over his shoulder at his response. The boy was stubborn so he didn't expect him to reveal his darkest secrets upon request, "You're about to go through an operation that has a 13% success rate. I think that makes most people nervous."

"Well, you should know that I'm not most people." He retorted once more

Dr. Stevens did not respond as he disinfected his hands before putting on his gloves and tying his apron. He really did want Null to relax and try not to make this more difficult than it had to be. Though he was one to talk as he was more than a little edgy himself as this was a delicate procedure which would require the utmost precision and allow for no mistakes.

"I met someone while I was away." Said Null out of the blue

Happy to get him talking Stevens said teasingly, "Oh, a girl?"

"No, he was a guy." Null said plainly

A look of worry was present in his eyes when he heard this. Not only was the boy a child assassin, but he was possibly a homosexual as well, "Um…did you…you know." Stevens began

Knowing where he was heading with his question the young agent cut him off, "His name was Jaqueris and he said he was my brother."

Breathing a sigh of relief the half Greek man put on his surgical mask, but found himself at odds upon listening to Null. The remaining family of the boy was no mystery to A.I.M. given the circumstances that involved Ja'Keyon and his brother Jaqueris' birth. Though like many other things Lysander was not at liberty to explain what these circumstances were to Null.

For now he would have to play dumb, "We're about to begin, you should prepare yourself." He said

Just then Maria walked through the door with an agitated look on her face which was strange because the woman was such a pleasant person. The way Null was seated prevented him from observing her expression but he still moved his eyes as far back as possible to try and look at her.

"What's the problem?" asked Stevens

Putting her hand on her forehead and closing her eyes she lied, "Nothing, I'm just trying to get focused is all."

She then began to go through the same preparatory process Lysander had undergone to cleanse herself of any bacteria. Her colleague looked at her with concern, "If you don't think you can do this then I can…"

"No…no, I'm fine just give me a minute." She said holding up her hand

Nodding, but not agreeing the doctor walked over behind Null to await his assistant in the operation.

Up in the observatory Caduceus rubbed the bottom of his chin. Though he could not hear them, due to their low volume, his expertise in body language and microexpressions allowed him to assess the atmosphere between the two scientists below. He frankly did not understand human emotion, to him it was an unwanted nuisance which stopped one from seeing the logical picture in front of them.

He considered himself lucky that such feeble chemicals held no sway over his powerful mind. It had been that way for as long as he remembered and while it had led to some awkward situations for him, it was all for the best. Unfortunately his brother did not share his advantageous trait made clear from the attachment he showed to Null.

Studying them harder he said to himself, "Hmmm…emotion."

* * *

><p>Josh sat in a seat behind the other occupants of the plane adorned in the uniform Danielle had given to him. While Wolverine and Mirage were at the controls he was situated behind Jaqueris and Megan who also fitted themselves in the outfits provided. Laura was ahead of him of them looking straight.<p>

Normally, he would be at least a little comfortable even though his and Jaqueris' relationship was strained at best and Laura was the equivalent of a wooden pole, he still had the cheerful Megan to converse with. However the girl's generally amiable personality was suppressed by the pressure in the atmosphere at the moment.

Josh had had enough simultaneous girlfriends to know when jealously was at work and if the heavy silence that had perpetuated throughout this entire trip wasn't enough proof then the restrained motions of Jaqueris was another indicator. He only made the tiniest movements to avoid drawing attention to himself. Plus, the looks that Megan seldom gave to the back of Laura's head showed the underlying tone between the three.

When he thought he couldn't take anymore he heard Logan say, "Okay, we're landing now. Everyone get ready to move out."

Just after he said this the Blackbird stopped in midair and began to lower steadily to the ground. As the legs moved out from under the plane it touched down softly on the snowy soil of the mountains.

The band of mutants unbuckled themselves from their seats as the hatch of the door opened letting the chill air blow inside. One by one they all exited the aircraft and descended the ramp with Pixie being the last to come out. When she was nearing the base she lost her footing and slipped. Jaqueris quickly reacted and grabbed her arm to prevent her from planting her face into the snow.

"Are you alright?" he asked

"Fine." Megan then looked up and seemed to recognize who had caught her, "I'm fine." She said

Laura watched the brief exchange between the two and Josh didn't recognize the expression she had on her face. He stopped looking himself when she turned forward to face Logan and Danielle.

Wolverine sniffed the air like a blood hound, "Jack, I can't pick up any scents I want you to see if you can pinpoint any bodies surrounding us."

It took a minute for Jaqueris to realize that he was the one being spoken to because of the nickname "Jack". Deciding not to make an issue he rose into the air and closed his eyes. He put his hands together as if he were praying, a technique he learned during his meditation sessions to help center himself.

He opened his eyes to reveal them glowing with a blue light as he began to scan the area. He wasn't sure how far his reach would go but having limited knowledge of the area was better than none at all. After a minute or so he rejoined his team on the ground.

"There are a few patrols, but most are spread out around the perimeter away from our position. The base is about 2 miles north." Informed Jaqueris

Wolverine nodded before turning to Danielle, "Alright, listen up. Nova, X-23, Elixir and Pixie this is strictly a recon mission. Wolverine and I will be heading north while you four will head up to that ledge to the west overlooking the area." She said pointing at the noticeable protrusion of rock.

Megan lit up at the new codename she had received but hid it under a veil of seriousness when Jaqueris spoke, "Wait, you're giving us the short stick. I thought we were coming to rescue my brother." Said Jaqueris

Wolverine half-turned to the boy, "Going Rambo on a heavily armed base won't do us much good in that endeavor kid. While you're up there I want you to see if you can pick up anything, radio chatter, patrol routes, and the like."

Jaqueris pursed his lips at this order, but knew it made sense. The higher his elevation the stronger his radar powers so it was logical that they would head up the mountains. Cursing himself for jumping to conclusions he began to walk towards their destination.

"Remember, if you come across any soldiers **DO NOT ENGAGE**. We want to keep our presence here a secret and if one of them manages to escape they could contact their headquarters and alert them to our existence." Counseled Danielle before they left

The children followed their orders and made their way to the cliff.

* * *

><p>Null stared up at the bright light overhead, this might not have been good for his eyes, but it helped to relieve his boredom. The operation had started at least 45 minutes ago. He sighed as the cranial surgery seemed to have no end in sight.<p>

"Don't worry Null, we've just about finished." Told Lysander picking up on his boredom. He wanted to tell Null how lucky he was, when this same piece of tissue was inserted into the unlucky participants before him they died almost immediately, but he had not only managed to survive the initial death sentence but stick around until the end.

He was closing the square hole in his head at the moment, being sure to place the meninges and dura back in its proper place. He wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand because of the blood on his fingers. Finishing his work he placed the flap of skin back down.

"Maria, can you hand me the sutures, I need to…" he quieted when he saw the phenomena in front of him.

The sides of the skin that had been cut were healing at an unprecedented pace. This could only mean one thing…the operation was success. Noticing his pause in speech and motion Maria walked over to him.

"What's the matter?" she asked

Pointing she saw the reason as Null's head had completely closed in a matter of seconds. Coming to his senses Lysander spoke, "Let's get this gear off of him."

The two removed the harness on his head as he began to question them on his condition,"So what's the diagnosis, Stevens?"

Moving to release his straps he said, "You can consider yourself the first survivor of this procedure. You now have a healing factor." there was no pride when he said this because he knew now that with his healing ability he would be assigned near suicidal missions and expected to succeed without any trouble.

"Is that so?" said Caduceus walking towards them "Don't bother untying him, brother. I have been ordered to begin with the second portion of his "enhancements."

"What? He's just gone through brain surgery, you can't possibly hope for him to be ready for anything the Director wants him to do." Defended Maria

Caduceus closed the distance between he and her and stopped a few inches from her body, the close proximity to him made her feel uneasy at best, "You know it's strange. It was made clear to us that we were not to become emotionally attached to him, yet I sense you've gone and done the opposite." He was now standing over her looking into her eyes

Defusing the situation the elder Greek put his now gloveless hand on Maria's shoulder, "Maria, let him do his job." He said

The alarm at his statement was not lost on Lysander, of all people she expected him to be the person most supportive of her. Despite this she was still going to stand by her argument but before she could Null himself spoke up.

"Stand down, Gale." This time all three of the A.I.M. scientists looked at him "I can take whatever these guys can throw at me."

Seeing that she was blocked at all sides even from the one she was trying to protect Maria reluctantly relented her argument. She gave Stevens a hard look before leaving in a bad mood, she eyed Caduceus as she passed him, but he did not follow her with his gaze.

Lysander walked past his brother to follow after his friend, but stopped when Cad began to speak, "You should know that I've been given no restrictions in this portion of the project."

Knowing what his subtle meaning meant Lysander gave his brother a warning look, but that was all he did. After all what could he do this order came from the highest position of authority in A.I.M. to try and halt it in anyway would be viewed as insubordination and would be dealt with harshly.

He gave one last look to Null and mouthed the words "Good luck" before walking out leaving his brother with his surrogate son.

Seeing that they were now alone Null felt a pit in his stomach which only increased when Caduceus began to move slowly towards him like the predator that he was. Though he would never give the freak the satisfaction of knowing how much he unnerved him in this situation.

"For the record I do not enjoy this." He said

Null frowned at the man, "Yes you do."

Smiling at being caught in his lie the scientist said, "You're right, but let's pretend I don't. I'm going to start with a fever, how about 114 degrees to start."

Null breathed out as he prepared himself for the torture he was about to endure. Caduceus held his hand over Null's face and began to lower it as slow as possible he knew he was doing this to try and increase his anxiety and it was working.

"Did you know that the closer I am to my target the more potent my power is?" he informed with his hand casting a shadow over his face

Null wasn't going to play his game by answering his question; he only stared into the palm of his hand anticipating its touch.

"Relax, it really isn't as bad as it seems." He said before placing a finger on his forehead

As soon as he made contact Null's body temperature began to rise exponentially. However characteristic of a fever he felt cold at first, until his body reached the new temperature. To call it discomfort would be a huge understatement, his mind became disoriented as the heat ravaged through his body. It didn't take long for his body to produce sweat from every pore on his body while he became lethargic.

He looked up at the man who had done this to him who was struggling to stop from smiling, "Okay, maybe I was wrong in saying it wasn't so bad."

* * *

><p>Josh sat on a rock and looked straight ahead. Jaqueris was levitating in the air in a cross legged position. Laura was standing at the edge of the ridge and if Josh didn't know any better he would've thought she was going to jump. Megan was sitting on the ground wrapped in her own arms shivering.<p>

The four had not said anything at all during their trip up here providing a dense feeling of uneasiness. He heaved a sigh at how uncomfortable the situation was, he desperately wanted someone to say something anything.

"Megan, are you cold?" he asked without thinking

At this Jaqueris opened his eyes and looked at her quivering form and slapped himself for not noticing earlier.

"No, I…I'm fine." She lied before sneezing

Jaqueris moved down from his position in the air and kneeled in front of her, "Come here I can warm you up for a bit, but not too long or else you might get sick."

He wrapped an arm around her and began to emit infrared radiation or heat. Her shaking lessened as time went on and she eventually put her head on his shoulder. Josh watched the scene and noted how much they resembled his mom and dad when they cuddled.

He also picked up on the look Laura was giving them before she quickly turned to look over the edge again. She balled up her right fist and unsheathed her claws before quickly retracting them again. She repeated this process a few times before she seemed satisfied and just left them out.

Not wanting to return to the prickly silence Josh spoke, "Jaqueris, your brother what is he like?"

Jaqueris took a minute before answering this question before he realized that he didn't know the answer to the question. After his brother's return in no time Jaqueris picked up that at his core Ja'Keyon had changed shown by the fact that he preferred to be called "Null" instead of his birth name.

"Before the blast, he was little bit of a thug. He would get into all kinds of trouble basically every week and give Mom a ton of headaches. When he was younger he swore he was apart of some gang with a bunch of punks he was friends with had a flag and everything." Despite the negative connotation of the description Jaqueris managed to chuckle at the memories of his brother

Josh nodded, "I never had a brother. I was always my parent's favorite and worst, which meant I got anything I wanted as long as I kept my grades up and stayed out of trouble. Until…" he trailed off at this as he remembered how his parents had abandoned him

Laura listened to the conversation behind her. The topic of family was something she was not sure she could discuss so easily. She secretly hoped that they would not question her on her mother as that would only cause unpleasant memories to surface.

"What about you, Megan?" asked Jaqueris

Laura clinched her fist for a reason she did not understand when she heard the girl's name. This was even more bizarre when she found the sound of her voice annoying.

"Well…my dad died in a mine in Abergylid." Jaqueris felt her try and get closer to him as she mentioned this, a sign that this incident left a bad impression on her, "I don't have any sisters, it was just me and my mom."

As everyone had shared their family history all eyes turned to Laura except Megan who found the snow more interesting.

"What about you Laura?" asked Josh

The highly trained assassin stiffened as her fear was realized. She did not want to divulge the circumstances involving her mother, but she knew that if she didn't say anything it would be considered rude to an otherwise innocent question.

So she just said, "She died."

The others had no choice but to accept her terse answer and could not question her further on things such as the manner of death because Laura began to speak again, "There is someone coming."

At this the three students stood up from their sitting position with Megan already missing the warmth offered by Jaqueris' body. They joined Laura at the edge to see that her statement was true.

About 20 feet below them were two men dressed in yellow NBC suits complete with masks. They both were carrying automatic weapons which Laura noticed as a semi automatic SPAS-12 shotgun and a Steyr AUG. With this she knew that the two soldiers could deal heavy damage in a short time because of the speed that each gun delivered its payload.

"Is that A.I.M.?" asked Megan

"Yes." Answered Laura

The men were holstering their weapons so that they could fire quickly given that as well at the fact that they were walking at a steady pace meant they were on patrol. Remembering Danielle's orders Laura turned to the others, "We should move."

She then turned to leave prompting the others to follow except Jaqueris who stood looking at the men. Seeing as he was not moving Josh turned to him and said, "Jaqueris, are you all right?"

He did not answer his question directly and instead said, "If those men work for A.I.M then they must know where their base is."

Already guessing at his intentions Josh stepped to him to try and persuade him otherwise, "Look, you heard what Dani said, "DO NOT ENGAGE" and besides…" Josh's speech was replaced with a shrill yell as the soft ground beneath him gave way.

As Josh plummeted to the ground he felt his wrist being grabbed by Jaqueris, "I got you Foley!" he said

Josh would've thanked him but he was distracted by the visage of the two men below him pointing their weapons in his direction. They opened fire soon after causing Josh to close his eyes in preparation of the bullets tearing into his flesh. He only hoped his death would be quick and painless.

* * *

><p>Wolverine breathed out through his nose pushing out a misty smoke. He was on bended knee with his arm across his cap as he stared down methodically at the base below. From here he and Dani had a pretty good aerial view of the place and noted a colossal com tower on the far left side of the base.<p>

There was also the usual ammunitions and food depot, in case of a large scale firefight or shortage of food. There was a helipad on the far east side beside a bunker which he assumed held transportation such as jeeps or more aircraft. Finally there were four watchtowers which held two guards with sniper rifles in each overlook; the towers were placed at the points of the square base. From this little analysis he had come up with one conclusion, they were prepped for war.

The compound could hold up for a couple of weeks from the equipment on the surface area possibly longer if the sublevels stored anything of use. Basically a full out assault was out of the question as they would be cut down before they got to the front gate and that was assuming that there were no mines or automated turrets outside the base. To enter this headquarters would require a subtle approach, one he had not come up with yet.

"Why did we send them alone?" asked Danielle suddenly

Wolverine looked to her with a neutral expression, "Don't you mean why I sent them alone?"

The Native American stood up at his insinuation, "Yes, they're just kids." She said crossing her arms

Wolverine turned back to look at the base, "All the more reason why they should learn to stand on their two feet."

The former Valkryie turned in the same direction as him; she understood what he was trying to do. Logan was not the "Hold your hand and lead you through it type"; no he was the "Tell you how to survive and throw you to the wolves" type. Always believing in hands on approach it made perfect sense to him to let the kids go out on their own.

But this mentality caused him to overlook something very crucial about these young mutants. That was that they were in fact **young**, making them prone to all the hotheaded mistakes that youth made. Under ordinary circumstance this would be fine and would be easily corrected, but they were mutants such error in judgments could lead to serious harm or worse with no second chances.

Sensing her unease Logan was about to say something until his ultra keen hearing picked up an equally disturbing sound in the distance. His head snapped in the direction he had sent the students in and he unsheathed his claws.

"Logan, what's wrong?" she asked

Logan partially turned his head and asked, "Are you the type that likes to say, "I told you so."?"

"No." she answered a bit confused as to why he would as such a question

"Good." He said running off at great speeds in a direction

Dani hastily began to follow him a feeling of dread swelling up in her chest.

* * *

><p>The men below had opened fire at the foreign presence causing Josh to close his eyes in anticipation of the sheering pain he was sure to feel. However all he got was the sound of the bullets clanging to a magnetic shield. He opened his eyes to see Jaqueris with an outstretched hand stopping the bullets from perforating them both.<p>

"They're mutants, go and alert the base." Said the man carrying the shotgun

His partner offered no argument and ran off wishing they had brought a radioman with them.

The next thing he saw was Laura jumping off of the ledge to the lower level. She landed gracefully and was on the men in an instant. He managed to fire off one shot but because he had to take the time to aim X-23 predicted where he was firing and summarily dodged the spread.

Using the small window of time that the man needed to pump the gun before firing again she separated the man from his weapon by grabbing the muzzle of the gun then using her free hand she delivered an open palm strike to the man's face followed by a kick to his rib cage.

This did the trick as she now held the gun, but lucky for him she preferred her claws. Throwing it to the ground the soldier look at her like she was crazy for a moment before turning his eyes to the weapon.

Jaqueris heaved Josh back up on the cliff and watched the action below him. Laura and the unnamed soldier were staring at one another. She stood straight up with her claws out while he stood poised to attack.

"X-23, can handle this guy. I'm going after the other one." Said Jaqueris floating into the air

"Wait, for me!" said Pixie following behind him leaving Josh alone on the ledge

Laura watched as both Megan and Jaqueris flew overhead, but didn't take her eyes completely off of the man in front of her. Because of this she caught his sudden movement to reacquire his gun.

He dived on it and took aim the split second he rose to his knee. Laura did not sit idly by and watch him however as when he raised his firearm she was already under it with her foot claw extended. Aiming her kick at the barrel she pierced the metal and slid her foot out the side, cutting the gun in half.

Not letting up she sent a clawed cross at his head but he weaved it and began to back step rapidly. Trying to buy time he threw the now useless weapon at the former Weapon X operative which she reduced to scrap metal with two slashes.

Knowing that he would now have to resort to hand to hand combat the soldier charged at the clawed girl. Doing the same Laura rushed forward and a few feet away jumped into the air. The image of her angry face with claws coming down reflected off of the glass on the man's mask.

Jaqueris opened his eyes with the light signifying he was using his radar sense. The man was not visible despite the height they were traveling in so Jaqueris assumed he must have gone into hiding. As he scanned the area for any heat signatures as well as electrical impulses he picked up a human sized shape under the canopy of trees below him

"Stay up here." He said to Megan before descending

Landing on the ground he returned to his normal vision and spotted the yellow suit worn by the man he was pursuing. Strangely it had been discarded and was lying on the ground, sensing a trap Jaqueris approached it slowly surveying the area at the same time.

Now that he had ditched his bright suit he could blend in more easily with the surrounding forest depending on what he was wearing. Jaqueris thought he must be freezing his butt off with just his skivvies on.

As he approached the suit his nose picked up the unmistakable scent of smoke. To confirm a small plume rose into the air, at this he ran to the suit post haste. Standing over it he saw what had caused the heat signature, the suit had been set on fire.

The man aimed his sights on the head of the still mutant. He had black curvy hair with a scar running across his arm, but his appearance wasn't important right now. All he cared about was hitting the shot before him; he had stripped down to his boxers and white t-shirt and was now freezing in the snow. It was all worth it however for the kill he was about to receive.

Putting his hand on the trigger he visualized the bullet firing from the gun, the muzzle flash shining, and the sound of the gunshot ringing. His was about to make his vision a reality until a…jackrabbit appeared in his sights.

Not believing his eyes he tried to silently shoo it away, but it just stared at him. Looking at the animal he became aware of the floating feeling he was experiencing. It was like a high, he was in his body but his mind was elsewhere making him feel disoriented. He felt a presence to his side and saw the hoof of what appeared to be a white horse.

Examining it closer he noticed the grayish mane running down the back of its neck, it stood strong and gallant. The tuft on its tail swayed back and forth vigorously, however despite this majestic sight the thing that stood out was the yellow horn protruding from its forehead.

Thinking he'd gone crazy he stood up and took aim at the mystical creatures. This motion brought Jaqueris' attention to him, thinking he was about to fire he generated a spark in his hand. Looking at the man further he saw that he was not focused on him, but something Jaqueris could not see.

The man backed up until his back hit a tree which cut off any escape attempts. There were more of the fairy tale creatures now approaching him leisurely. He heard laughing behind him, not wanting to fully turn his head he just used his peripheral vision spotting a faint light floating beside his eyes.

It moved from the side of his head to the front accompanied by several other of similar illumination. Giggling reverberated from the lights once again and they seemed to be mocking him. The laughter increased until it was all he could hear, looking around he saw that the three unicorns and the four jackrabbits were laughing as well.

"Stop laughing at me!" he screamed as raised his weapon

The fully automatic AUG spit out a hail of bullets with the express intent of butchering the hooting beasts. Jaqueris watched the uncanny scene unfold in front of him. The man was firing wildly into the air while firing off expletives at no one.

Not waiting for the man to recover Jaqueris sent a continuous stream of lightning him. His body stiffened and shook violently. As Jaqueris poured his energy into him, he considered killing the man as taking him prisoner didn't seem to be a wise choice. The electricity continued to fry his body and was only amplified by the metallic gun he possessed. Whether his human nature got the best of him or not however he decided against it and ceased his barrage.

His body slumped to the ground cataleptic from the shock his breathing shallow, but noticeable. Making sure to be cautious this time Nova neared the man. Once he was overlooking him he said, "What was wrong with him?"

"That was thanks to me!" said a voice in a happy tone

Looking up Jaqueris spotted Pixie sitting atop a tree with her leg crossed over the other, "I used my mutation on him. I call it my Pixie Dust." She explained floating down to him

"It causes hallucinations?" he asked

Megan put her finger under her chin resembling a child who was confused, "I don't really know. I used it on Victor once and he said he saw ponies and fairies. You know stuff like that. You wanna see?" She said smiling

Jaqueris wasn't quite sure what she meant but got an answer when sparkling pink dust blew into his face, "Megan, what the hell?"

He wiped his eyes of the particles as a woozy feeling overtook him. It was the same feeling one got if they were given a heavy dose of Benadryl. At first nothing happened until he spotted something moving in the brush.

"Ah, shit!" he cursed when a horde of flying fairies began to fly his way

* * *

><p>Laura adjusted the body on her shoulders as she continued to follow the scent of Jaqueris and Megan. Josh was not too far behind, but the boy was too slow for her tastes. She had been forced to walk instead of run because he could not keep pace with her. However this was eased as he did not seem to want to make what Jaqueris called "small talk" after her execution of the A.I.M soldier he had gone strangely silent.<p>

Crossing a hill she made a visual of Megan kneeling over Jaqueris who was sitting against a tree muttering what sounded like "I'm sorry". The closeness of the two made her nose furrow, she had never felt this emotion before but it occurred whenever she saw Megan and Jaqueris together which confused her.

Whenever she felt an unfamiliar emotion she would relieve herself by cutting but that was not an option now because of the other students. Dropping the body on the ground made the two aware of her and Josh's arrival.

Looking at the limp figure on her shoulder Jaqueris asked, "Is he…"

"Yes." Answered Josh for her

Jaqueris sighed and Laura thought he was disappointed in her choice, until he said, "It had to be done."

Megan looked horrified at his answer obviously she had been expecting him to scold her for killing the man. Josh was silent but he felt a similar way to Megan, he realized that watching someone die was not a pleasant experience.

"We must destroy the bodies." Said Laura

The more innocent of the academy students looked at her with a mixture of alarm and fear, "Wait, why do we have to do that?" asked Josh

"Yeah, I mean we can just bury that one guy in the snow or something." Agreed Megan

Laura looked at her with a stale expression recognizing the naiveté in her plan, "A patrol may find his corpse and the other cannot be allowed to live, he has seen our faces."

Josh and Megan hung their heads in defeat, no matter how much they were against murder they could not ignore the logic in disposing of the two men. Still this revelation did not make either of them feel better.

"How would we even do it? It's not like we have a furnace lying around or anything." Said Josh hoping this little tidbit would convince Laura not to go through with this action

Jaqueris who had been silent the whole time on this moral dilemma finally spoke up, "I can handle that. I'll have to flash fry it so that there's no blood, hair, skin, or anything else."

The two were at a loss for words as they had been thwarted once again in their attempt to find a more humane solution to their problem. Seeing that they were not going to keep arguing Jaqueris rose up and dragged the unconscious man's body over the one that Laura had disposed of.

"I can't watch this." Said Megan turning her back

"Neither can I." concurred Josh doing the same motion

Jaqueris turned to Laura who didn't seem to have as much of a problem as the other two, "X?" he asked

"I am fine." She said plainly

Nodding Jaqueris looked down at the two men in front of him, these were two people in front of him, and well one was while the other was dead, but the principle was still the same. If he went through with this he would be robbing someone at all that their life could have offered them.

This went doubly true if he had a wife and family waiting for him at home. Jaqueris thought about the pain he felt when he realized his parents were no longer coming home and the hate he felt at the one who caused it. Feeling this he wondered if the child of this man would come for him one day to exact his revenge.

Despite his conflicting feelings he also remembered why he was here in the first place. These people worked for the organization that had kidnapped his brother meaning they knew the work they would be entitled to do and yet they went through with it anyway no matter who was hurt in the process.

Finalizing his decision he stretched out his hands as Laura watched on. "You guys might want to cover your noses too." He warned

Megan and Josh did so not wanting to know exactly how he knew what burning flesh would smell like.

* * *

><p>Danielle was a step or two behind her feral teammate. After Logan detected a disturbance coming from the direction of their students he made a beeline towards them. For two miles they both sprinted Wolverine was aided by his superior musculature system allowing him to push himself physically much longer than an ordinary human. Danielle however only had her concern for her students driving her.<p>

Her legs were burning and she was breathing heavily, her body was telling her to stop and take a breather, but her willful mind was commanding her to keep going and not stop until she saw with her own eyes that the children were okay.

She was about to ask Logan how far they had to go until a putrid odor flowed into her nostrils. From the scent she could tell something was burning, but it had an underlying aroma to it that reminded her of beef on a grill. Sniffing again she picked up a coppery, metallic component to the fragrance.

"Wolverine, what is that smell?" she asked no longer being able to take the sickly sweet sensation which she could almost taste now as they came atop a hill. If she was getting nauseated by this odor then she could only imagine how he was feeling with his super senses.

The Canadian was the first to rise to the top and Dani wondered why he had stopped. Coming up behind him she saw why, "You don't want to know the answer to that question." He said

Danielle was mortified at the sight before her. Pixie and Elixir were facing them with sickened expressions on their faces similar to her own. Nova and X-23 were standing over two extremely charred skeletons which the horrible smell originated from.


	20. Brotherhood Part 3

**Brotherhood Pt. 3**

* * *

><p>It was dark, very dark, but that didn't matter to Null at all he always felt at home in the darkness. He never actually knew why it was just that it "comforted" him, if he was angry or tired sitting in the dark would always seems to ease his problems so he did it often. It was like being held in your mother's arms after scrapping your knee or having a bad nightmare, not that Null knew anything about having a mother. In essence the darkness was his sanctuary, a place he could feel safe.<p>

No one knew about his affinity to the abyss, he kept it secret from Stevens and Gale besides he doubted they would understand his kinship with the dark. The importance it held to him was only amplified by the circumstances surrounding him at the moment. His body was still strapped to the table in which he had brain surgery performed on him.

Hours ago that sadist Caduceus had stricken him with a high fever and then left. The man had not returned since then, which Null was grateful for because it gave him time to recover from the unnatural rise in his body heat. Before he had would've spat at the opportunity to obtain a healing factor, only people who were afraid of dying would willingly obtain it.

His experience with the illness inducing scientist however had caused him to earn a grudging respect for accelerated healing. The fever had actually subsided only minutes after it had been placed in him, the only thing bothering him now was the dehydration.

Licking his lips to try and produce the smallest of amount of saliva proved futile as his carpet like tongue ran across his dry, cracked lips. He let out a haggard cough that scratched his throat and sent a burning sensation running through his trachea.

"_I really hate Cad." _he thought

A light from the entrance drew his attention as he lifted his head as far as he could to see who it was. His flat position prevented him from seeing their body only the shadow on the ground was visible. They door behind them slid closed engulfing the room in darkness yet again. The contact between their feet and the ground made a pit pattering noise as they moved towards him.

With the deliberate footsteps they took Null briefly thought it was the crazy Greek returning to continue his work but dampened this guess when he realized the timing in their stride and the sound of their walk was too light and…_feminine_ to belong to him.

"Ja'Keyon…are you alright?" Said a light voice filled with disquiet

He didn't answer at first, she knew better than to call him by that name even if no one was around to hear her say it. There was a sigh of aggravation from his silence as the originator of the voice placed a hand on his shoulder, "Null! Answer me!" she demanded

Not being able to be seen didn't stop him from casting her a triumphant smile which he sure would've earned him a slap if she could see him, "What are you doing here Gale?" he asked

The sound of something being unscrewed was detected as Maria said, "Open your mouth."

Always the suspicious one he opened his mouth, but not the way she intended, only to speak, this caused him however to receive a refreshing surprise as a cool liquid fell down on over his nose and mouth. Not expecting this he ended up inhaling some of it through his nose which caused the very unpleasant sensation of drowning.

Coughing he turned his head to the side to prevent from choking. Hearing his reaction caused Maria to stop her own action and lean over him protectively.

"I told you to open your mouth." She addressed him

Shooting her an unseen glare he straightened back up, "What is that?"

Crossing her arms like she'd been insulted Maria said, "What? Do you think I'm going to posion you or something?" she heard a groan from him in response and what sounded like him trying to move his limbs, "It's water. I thought you might need some."

There was silence which actually complimented the void surrounding them and the childhood fear of the dark began reassert itself in Maria making her rub her arms. Null was always taken aback by the show of kindness the two scientists had showed him yet he could never figure out why they did so when it was strictly prohibited.

"Okay, I'm ready this time. Try not to drown me." He said

Heaving a sigh she placed her hand around his face to try and locate his nose. This earned her a few complaints from Null about his eye and her bony fingers. Eventually she found his snout and covered it to prevent anymore Chinese Water Torture-esque accidents.

Null opened his mouth as she slowly poured the unusually delicious stream into his mouth. She stopped periodically so that he would not choke from not being able to drink fast enough. The fever had left him extremely thirsty and he lapped up the water like a deprived canine. It was no surprise when the bottle was empty in a short time period.

Null let out a sound showing he was satisfied with his refreshment, "You got anymore." He asked greedily

Forgetting that they were shrouded in darkness she moved her head from side to side before saying, "No, I don't, but I'll be back later with more." She informed him

Accepting this truth in stride Null laid his head deep into the bed, the sweat he produced from the fever feeling cold on his neck, "Fine."

The handicap of her vision being restricted didn't stop her from staring at him. She leaned down to where she hoped his ear would be and said, "You can't let them break you, Ja'Keyon, no matter what you have to endure."

The young prisoner was about to say something along the lines of "Duh!" when he heard her say, "At least until we can find a way for you to escape."

Null's eyes swelled at this and not because she used that name again, but because she was implying that she could help him escape the facility. He had spent an inordinate amount of time here and knew that such a feat was a longshot at best. There was high tech security all over the base not to mention the battalion of soldiers and mech suits at the disposal of the terrorist organization.

He was about to tell her how fool hardy her plan was but she was already walking out of the door and he found his words stuck in his throat. The door closed leaving him to his shock and his familiar darkness.

* * *

><p>Fear. That was all he felt, petrifying numbing fear. There was nothing he could pinpoint that was causing him to be afraid, he was just afraid. Outside his terrorized mind, his body was tossing and turning in the bed, sweating profusely. It encompassed his body and traveled throughout, like a cancer, even though he was asleep he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.<p>

Just when he thought he was going to go insane from the horror tormenting him, Nova woke up with a gasp. Lurching forward he placed his head in his hands and wiped the perspiration from his face. Putting his hands behind his back he felt the soaked sheets underneath him.

He needed to get some fresh air; the night terror had made the motel room stuffy and uncomfortable. His eyes had adjusted to the dark by now and he observed his environment. To his left was Josh, still sleeping, curled in the fetal position. Between them was a small two drawer desk with a lamp and hotel phone.

Logan was in a king-sized bed ahead of them, also sleeping, his heavy snoring sounding like a hibernating grizzly. To Jaqueris' left was a wide window designed as a way to view the outside without actually going out, it had been covered with a curtain to block the piercing rays of the sun in the morning by the older man though.

Knowing that opening them would most likely awaken his two roommates, he decided to head downstairs. Putting his feet over the side of the bed they sunk into the soft red carpet. Mentally telling himself to avoid running into the big screen tv near the head of Logan's bed he opened the dresser that the television was placed on.

Picking out a red shirt and brown shorts he dressed himself quickly. Remembering proper hygiene he went into the restroom to brush his teeth, but didn't turn on the lights. After his short morning ritual he put on some socks and his shoes then silently left the room, extra careful not to slam the door on his way out.

The hallway of the motel was nothing special; lights adorned the wall, one for every door leading into a room. The numbers distinguishing each room made it seemed like one big serial number. He read his own door number to ensure that he wouldn't forget it; "616" it read.

The place they were staying in had a large lounge downstairs where a mass of people could congregate but he wasn't in the mood for other people's presence at the moment. Instead he was heading to the balcony near the top of the motel conveniently located on his floor.

In fact all he had to do was round the corner then walk about three feet to find his way out. As he walked he thought about what could have brought about his night terror. He knew that such events could be caused by repressed negative emotions, but he did not remember consciously inhibiting such feelings, but then again that would not mean he repressed them if he did.

The only thing that he could think of to cause such a reaction was the death of his family, but why was he having nightmares now when he didn't even have them the day after their deaths or any other close subsequent days? The only other explanation that he thought could cause his disturbed sleep was…

Jaqueris ceased his inner inquiry when he came to the door leading onto the balcony. It had a glass center surrounded by wood and a white curtain on the top falling to the sides. There were wooden divisions that made squares making the window. Not really noticing the craftsmanship he was more focused on who was on the other side of the door.

Leaning with her arms on the railing was Laura, she was wearing a long sleeved jean jacket that ended above her navel, which matched the blue pants that hugged her figure tightly. Underneath that jacket was a purple shirt which showed her midriff. A simple pair of black slide-in shoes completed the ensemble. Jaqueris wondered if she was cold because of her attire.

Her head was turned away from him, but he was certain that she was gazing soulfully in the distance. Before going outside he thought about this, Laura had been surprisingly cold ever since they left the academy. No, even before then, her attitude had taken a frigid shift since their near kiss in the lower levels of the Institute.

Taking a deep breath he joined her on the frosty terrace. She turned upon hearing the door open and stared impassively at him. Not wanting to make the situation even more awkward he spoke, "Hi."

Then immediately wanted to punch himself in the gut for using such a terse opener. He expected her reply when she said, "Hello." Before returning to look off into the distance.

Rubbing his hands on his pants, a sign of stress, he sighed before walking towards her. Laura could hear his footsteps and she grew anxious as he approached. He stopped beside her and leaned over the snowy railing with his arms resting.

She didn't speak nor did him; both seemed undecided on what to say anyway. So they just stood soundless. When Jaqueris moved his head slightly she thought he was about to say something, but she was wrong.

Laura breathed out audibly which made Jaqueris think she had said something, but he was also mistaken. The stillness of the state between the two was evocative of their time on the Blackbird perhaps even stronger now that it was only the two of them. The time that they were near one another, but not talking, seemed like a stale eternity.

Deciding to grow a pair Jaqueris began to say, "Listen I…"

"Are you cold?" Laura cut him off

Not expecting her to talk he said, "Um…no, I can raise my body heat so I don't get cold."

As if to test him a cold wind blew past them, blowing up Laura's hair into her face. "That is useful." She said moving the hair out of the way

For some reason Jaqueris found this funny and began to laugh, Laura stared at him for a moment before she felt a smile creep up along the corners of her mouth. Seeing her smile let him know that tensions between them were beginning to heal if only a little.

Once his laughter stopped her smile slowly faded back into the neutral idiosyncratic expression that she was known for. Once again it was quiet, but there wasn't as much strain on the two to say something to one another.

"Laura, can I ask you something?" he said

She looked at him squarely and said, "Yes."

Jaqueris was looking into her eyes now; he wanted to see her reaction when he asked his question, "Have you ever regretted something?"

He caught a very tiny twitch of the eye when he said this as well as her mouth lowering by a few millimeters. He had to admit she was very skilled at hiding her inner emotions and he considered himself lucky that he was able to catch such miniscule betrayals at her inner turmoil.

Laura had felt a feeling of sorrow dig into her heart at Jaqueris' query. He had unwittingly incited recollections of the incident with her mother. The tears that fell from her mother's eyes making her resemble a dahlia; her lifeless yet regretful eyes were burned into the creases of her mind. The most distinctive memory however was the cold, and not even the cold from the snow that surrounded them that day, but the icy coolness that emanated from her mother's corpse.

She had lain on top of her mother's body for a long time while the flakes from the sky piled on top of her. She didn't want to move and probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for the soldiers that the facility sent for her.

Realizing that she had been lost in thought and was just staring at him, or more accurately through him, she tried to recover, "Yes."

By the length of time it took her to respond to his question he knew that he had managed to stir up some memories that she would have preferred to stay buried. Despite this Jaqueris ignored his normally selfless instincts that would have him to stop the questioning and continued, "How do you deal with it?"

"_Cutting."_ She had wanted to say but knew that would be unacceptable so instead she muttered, "I do not think of it."

"You mean you don't think **about **it or…."

Laura stared deeply into his eyes when she cut him off which only added weight to her statement, "No, I mean it does bother me even though I was trained to not feel anything for my target, to execute efficiently without remorse. Feeling guilt would inhibit me from doing this, but it still causes me pain." As she was talking her normal control began to slip and she began to frown as her eyes began to water

Jaqueris drew his head back to some extent from her words, "execute" and "trained" standing out the most. What exactly did she mean by this and who was she referring to? Did she know about his night terrors and was now implying the cause of it…or was it something else. He then remembered what his brother had called her in the cells.

"_Don't worry X-23." He had said_

That name was known by Ja'Keyon even though the two had never met before, which meant it was not just a codename; she had to have had it for a length of time for it to be linked to her in such a way probably from that Facility that Ja'Keyon had mentioned as well. He also wondered if she was referring to the man she terminated in the mountains the day before or whether there was someone else she had struck down in the past.

"Laura I'm…" he was beginning to apologize when he spotted a tear fall from her eye. Feeling like a complete asshole he pulled her into a tight hug. She placed her head on his shoulders, but did not weep like he expected she only let out a few tears as she buried her head in his shoulders.

Placing his hand behind her head, he wasn't blind to the stark contrast between the normally taciturn and reserved Laura to the vulnerable young woman soaking his shoulder. He let her continue her silent downpour until a flash in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Not liking the prospect of being spied on he turned to see…Megan standing in the doorway with a hurt expression.

"Shit!" he said aloud

The Welsh girl walked away at being spotted but not before giving Jaqueris a look of scorn. Putting his hands on Laura's shoulder he looked indecisive on what to do. Either go after Megan and leave Laura to herself or stay and deal with a jealous fury later. Realizing he wasn't going to win in any scenario he said, "I'm sorry Laura…I'm we'll talk later!"

He then ran off to catch up with Megan leaving Laura for the second time – alone.

Bursting through the door Jaqueris caught up to Megan easily and lightly grabbed her wrist.

"Megan, wait it's not what it looks like." He said

She snatched her arm away from his touch like he was infected or something and gave him a look of such negative emotion that he never knew she was capable of doing her bunny laden pajamas not taking anything away from her serious demeanor. So flabbergasted was he that he didn't say a thing to her when she faced him.

"Then what was it!" she asked angrily

"Keep your voice down." Said Jaqueris sternly

He knew however that such a request would not be met, no matter how sweet and friendly Megan was normally, it was like the old saying, "Hell Hath No Fury like a Woman Scorned" and she was definitely scorned.

"No, I won't, I want to know right now. How do you actually feel about Laura?"

Jaqueris froze up at this inquiry.

Looking up at the wall he spotted the room number "616", using his magnetic powers he unlocked the door without touching it, "Let's talk inside." He suggested

She looked at him defiantly, and Jaqueris could tell she really didn't want to agree with him on anything at the moment, but some people had come outside their hotel rooms attracted by the yelling but staying once they spotted the colorful wings coming from the girl's back. If she didn't want to look like the crazy girl straight out of the soap opera or a poster child for mutant/human segregation she would have to listen to him for now.

Stepping inside the room Jaqueris closed the door behind them to give them the necessary privacy. Leaning back against the door he stared at the cross girl in front of him, luckily no one was inside the room at the moment.

"Well?" she asked

Jaqueris knew this moment would come, at the very instant he kissed Laura he was diving straight into trouble. It was now time to face the consequences of his actions and deal with them…like a man.

* * *

><p>Josh was walking back towards the motel room to retrieve something he had forgotten. Waking up early in the morning, but not earlier than Jaqueris apparently, he found that only he and Logan were present in the room.<p>

As he neared his destination he passed two elder adult men, they were both skinny but not excessively so. One was wearing a white shirt with blue jeans characterized by a clean shaven head and the other had a Mohawk with a spiked leather jacket and dark pants, Josh thought of the movie "Grease" when he saw him.

"Hey, did you see that mutant girl with the butterfly wings and that black guy go at it just a minute ago?" the one with the white shirt said

Josh wasn't usually one for eavesdropping, but listened closer when the word mutant was brought up.

"Yeah, I bet he was one too. Damn muties always stinking up the joint with their problems and stuff." The leather wearing man said

Josh frowned at this but remembered it wasn't so long ago that he had the same mindset as these two simpletons, only abandoning it when it was revealed he was what he hated.

"Yeah, but that pink haired girl was kinda cute and she had the sexiest accent, too bad she seemed to be in such a pissed off mode, I might've actually tried to talk to her. You know liven up her day a little." Continued the bald one

"You're freaking disgusting, man." Said the other one

The two bigots walked past Josh and he glared daggers into their backs, he wondered if he was really like that back when he was with the Reavers. It was hard to imagine now that he was a mutant, but if he was even a fraction like those guys he could see why Jaqueris was still wary of his company.

Speaking of Jaqueris, the description the two used to identify the two mutants was strangely familiar to his teammates. He was close to his room now so perhaps they were in there now. Coming to the door he thought that maybe he shouldn't enter, by the accounts of the two men Pixie and Nova had been arguing and were probably trying to sort things out now. Or more likely had solved their dispute and were now "making up"; walking in on them during the process would be a particularly embarrassing thing to do.

Agreeing with himself he was about to walk off until he heard a hard thump from the other side of the door. Before he could even reach for the knob, it swung open as a grumpy looking Megan stormed out of the room not even taking the time to look at Josh no less speak to him about her problem.

The door was jarred open a little so the former Reaver made his way inside. He couldn't open it fully because of a weight pressing against the other side. Turning sideways so that he could enter the room he spotted a shocking sight on the floor.

"Oh man! What happened to you?" he asked

He was referring to the fact that in the corner of the door was Jaqueris sitting on the floor holding his eye which appeared to be darker than normal.

"Don't ask." He said curtly

* * *

><p>Maria was standing over a table holding a multitude of glass flasks and measuring tube. This was the story for the rest of the room as well due to the fact of this being the lab where chemical compounds were created. It wasn't messy yet still cluttered with stacks of research paper, chem equipment and the like. The reason she was present here was because she had been asked to concoct an extra strong tranquilizer as well as prepare a high dosage of MGH or Mutant Growth Hormone.<p>

The needle holding MGH was green and sickly looking, while the tranquilizer was clear and see through.

She held up the syringe it was held in and looked at it with scrutiny, the measurement had to be perfect and exact. No mistakes could be made if she was going to give him any chance, too little and it would wear of prematurely causing suspicions to run rampant ultimately coming back to her, but she also could not give an overabundance because that would most likely keep him under throughout the procedure and he would miss his chance. This quantity needed was made more ambiguous because of his healing factor, which the upper limits were still unknown.

"I admire your attention to detail, but we do have a schedule." Said that scathing voice

Gale only twisted her head to look at him to see he was leaning on one of the tables contorting his face into that mocking grin. She felt an urge to jab the needle into his neck, and hopefully hit an artery, and then grab Ja'Keyon and run. Her rational mind, however, knew how foolhardy this hope was and the disastrous turn it would certainly take, so she reined herself in and made one last check.

Placing a plastic covering over the hypodermic she walked over to hand it to him yet when he grabbed for it she pulled it away, "How long is this supposed to last, exactly? The mix of a tranquilizer and MGH might have a detrimental effect especially because of the high doses."

Caduceus smirked, "For the first question, Until the Director orders otherwise. Now as for your second concern, that is the point. We are doing this to test the threshold of his new healing factor, what would be the point in giving him harmless doses." He then extended his hand again to signify her to hand him the needle. She did so with an air of reluctance, "You shouldn't be so hesitate, Maria, the dissection would be much worse without this." He said holding up the sedative

The door opened to let in a tall yet stout soldier which light brown hair with a tint of gray coming in his steely blue eyes seemed able to stare holes into concrete. He carried himself with distinction and at a glance one could tell he was a senior officer in the organization. If his demeanor wasn't enough then the dark uniform with small shoulder pads and combat boots would help those unfamiliar with the bright yellow attire of A.I.M.

The two scientists needed no assistance as they recognized the man as a special operative of the terrorist group.

"Captain Harkness, what can I do for you?" asked Caduceus

The man stood with the rigidity of a military man and answered as such, "Sir, two of our patrols have not reported in."

The man in charge rubbed his chin in thought, it was quite normal for some of the newest recruits to wander off during an extended stay on the base, but after their first punishment this usually was not a problem any longer.

"They're probably in town, picking up a few drinks. Why don't you take someone with you and head down there to check?" advised Cad

The man did not answer only giving a stiff nod of his head before turning to leave. Caduceus and Maria watched him go, before the man looked at her and cast a smile in her direction which was not returned.

"Do you know where big brother has run off to?" he asked

"No, he might've gone into town too." She guessed

Caduceus nodded before he left the woman to her own devices. She eyed him precariously until he was out of sight; he would be overlooking the surgery personally so that would give her ample time to do what she had to do.

Null was staring dead ahead intently at the doorway. He had been informed that he would be undergoing a new procedure around this time and was getting restless for it to begin. After Maria had told him that she planned to bust him out he was skeptical at first but as time went on he began to play with the idea that she might be able to pull it off though he didn't get his hopes up.

The door slid open revealing Caduceus walking inside holding two needles containing some unknown fluids. He grimaced at the possible ingredients in those needles.

"_Rat poison, lighter fluid…AIDS."_ He thought gloomily

"Sooooo, how are you doing?" Cad asked happily

Null gritted his teeth behind his closed mouth before saying, "Super, I was just thinking about killing you."

The man put on a mock hurt expression as he took the cap off of one of the needles containing the emerald fluid, "Maybe you'll feel better once I tell you what this is, huh?"

It went without mentioning that the A.I.M experiment boy was inquisitive about the contents of that syringe, any sharp object handled by the man in front of him instantly became an object of concern to him.

"This is Mutant Growth Hormone and a grand amount at that. We will be injecting it into your body **after** you are put to sleep of course." The scientist observed the boy's reaction to see if he could spot any emotion but was only met with a cold expression "Then we will observe your body's reaction to such an excess of the drug."

Moving beside him, Null just relaxed when the needle was inserted into his neck, "However, this is assuming that your heart doesn't stop from the strength of this tranquilizer." Pushing down on the piece used to deliver the contents of the needle Null felt his eyes grow heavy almost instantly as his mind clouded over.

The last thought he managed before he passed out was, _"I __**really **__hate Caduceus!"_

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was sitting in front of the brick-laden fireplace in the lounging area of the motel in a cushy red armchair with Josh seated in the other to his left. It was twilight now so the fire cast out a luminous glow which warmed the legs of the two mutants. A small drinking table was between them, Josh had jokingly suggested they order a shot or two for the occasion.<p>

Jaqueris looked at the large stuffed deer head hanging over the fireplace with its glass eyes reflecting the amber radiance. Tracing his still sour right eye, which no longer had the black ring, he sighed heavily.

"Man, you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament, haven't you?" said Josh with the astuteness of a 13 year old

Jaqueris gave him an uptight look, "You know with your detective skills, you should join X-Factor, they could use your brilliant deductive abilities."

Leaning back from the sarcastic reply he let a smirk slip through, "I'm just don't understand…why in the world would you tell her?"

Feeling a headache coming on he groaned in reply as he fell back roughly into the chair, he wasn't actually sure why he told her himself, at the time it seemed the right thing to do. He was not the type of guy that liked to string girls along, especially not after…

"Look, I'm not someone who enjoys in manipulating people, okay? I should have never kissed Laura in the first place." He admitted

Josh cocked his head to the side and gave him an eye of disbelief, "Was it that bad?" he said almost laughing

Squeezing the armchair Jaqueris locked his jaw knowing that Foley was enjoying his predicament, "No, it wasn't bad. She actually surprised me with how well she kissed."

The mutant healer showed a vested interest in the direction this conversation heading as he leaned forward and placed the elbows of his arms on his knees, "Really, how did you two even start to make out?"

Jaqueris sensed his curiosity and was a little put off by it; he seemed like the sensual type, the kind of person who was ruled not by the brain in his head, but the one below his waist, just like he was.

"You know Josh you remind me of someone." Said Jaqueris eyeing him with distaste

Tilting his head in confusion and squinting his eyes he said, "Is that a good or bad thing?"

Jaqueris turned and stared into the fire, the crackling of the wood as it burned sounded like natural music. As he stared he saw a piece of wood collapse and likened it to his and Megan's relationship.

"Definitely a bad thing since it's my father I'm talking about."

Josh noticed the frown that momentarily crossed his face when he mentioned his dad and had to wonder what would cause such a reaction.

Seeing that Josh didn't understand what he meant by this comparison Jaqueris decided to elaborate a little more on his family history.

"My dad was the type of guy, who had a problem of keeping his pants up even if he had a wife." He looked at Josh right in the eyes "My mom caught him cheating when I was about six and divorced him that same year; Ja'Keyon was just a baby then."

Josh's mouth was agape for a moment, not that he was surprised or anything after all infidelity was pretty common between couples in the US. It was just that he had not expected Jaqueris to be one of the children in such a relationship.

"I'm sorry man." Josh fell back in his chair as he blew air out of his mouth placing his index and middle finger on his forehead he said, "My parents never had any troubles like that, so I don't know how you feel."

Jaqueris laughed at the irony of his statement, he sort of expected some wise sage-like advice from the boy to show that he wasn't the asshole he thought he was.

"_I should've known better."_ He thought

Silence was carried in the air for a bit while Josh tried to figure out what to say and Jaqueris just didn't care at the moment.

"But I do know one thing." Josh said finally making Jaqueris look over at him "Megan's a nice girl, she'll forgive you. If you're really sorry that is."

Jaqueris thought about this for a moment, judging from the dull pain in his eye he didn't really think the Welsh girl was even thinking about talking to him much less forgive him for his stupidity.

Looking off into the corner of the motel he spotted a cobweb, but his focus wasn't really on this area, "You know I never thanked you, did I?"

Josh became baffled again at his commentary, "For what?"

Jaqueris turned his gaze back to him and said, "For healing my cancer. I never thanked you."

Josh dug through his memory banks and realized that he was right. After healing the boy he had been so focused on saving his brother the thought of gratitude never once entered his mind.

"Yeah, well, you had other things on your mind." Said Josh with modesty that surprised even him

"Thank you anyway." Said Jaqueris

Josh didn't say anything, he couldn't figure out what to say. Jaqueris had been hostile against him for a while now, so to have him show appreciation to him was a bit weird. Jaqueris seemed to understand this however as he said nothing else either and turned back to looking into the fireplace. Josh had no better idea and joined him in his fire gazing, the two just sat…oddly content.

* * *

><p>Megan paced back and forth chewing on the nail of her thumb she was now out of her pajamas and wearing a yellow coat with fur around the hood and light pink pants with red shoes. She was normally a jovial and preppy girl, but after Jaqueris' betrayal she was in a foul mood. She ruffled her hair in anger as she let out a vocal groan.<p>

"Why do I care, I haven't even known him for that long?" she questioned herself

Despite this fact she was still angry, but it didn't make any sense. She tried to rationalize her anger by stating all the bad things about him, he was too tall, he was too secretive, he had a short temper.

"_He's also handsome, funny, and not to mention his…"_ she stopped her thoughts as a blush began to form across her face

"Aaaaaaaagghh!" she moaned as stamped her feet in frustration

In her anger she managed to hear a knock at the door. For a minute she was thinking of not answering it, what if it was Jaqueris? She didn't think she wanted to face him right now, neither for his sake or hers.

_Knock. Knock._

Deciding that her relationship problems should not be someone else's issue she went to answer the door. Placing her hand on the doorknob she silently prayed that it wasn't Jaqueris on the other side of the door.

Opening it she almost wished it was, because on the other side of the door was someone that had as much to do with Jaqueris' lapse in judgment as Jaqueris himself.

"Laura!" said Pixie in shock

The clone's jade eyes focused on her with a serious expression, "We must talk." It wasn't an order either, but also wasn't exactly a suggestion.

Megan swallowed hard, but she also agreed with the girl, she just couldn't voice her agreement.

* * *

><p>Logan sat in a chair in front of a small card table in the room he was sharing with the two young boys of the academy. Danielle was sitting across from him with her arms crossed.<p>

"So, it's impossible?" she asked

Logan rubbed his hand around his face before answering, "I'm not saying that, but it damn sure seems like it. I mean between the towers, guards, and any other death dealin' machines they got all I see are us running in there and leaving with our tails between our legs, assuming we have legs once we're out."

Danielle sighed as she rubbed her forehead, "We can't accept that. They could be doing God Knows What to that boy inside there, we have to get inside!"

Logan leaned back in his chair; this case struck a chord that was too close to home for his taste. Despite the limited amount of knowledge he had on his own past he knew that he had been imprisoned while scientists poked and prodded him like a fucking animal. If those freaks were engaging in anything even remotely close to what Weapon X was doing then he would be sure that he personally gutted every one of them.

But to do that he would have to find a way to get his team inside the base which was proving to be a conundrum in of itself. While he and Laura could probably take anything A.I.M. could throw at them, none of that mattered if everyone else, including their target of rescue, died while they tried to infiltrate.

To get insides they would need something besides brawn they would need something far more valuable and dangerous. They would need brains preferably on the inside, but it wasn't like there was a clearing sale on traitors to a highly influential terrorist organization anywhere around here.

He looked out the window to the room, it was snowing a little, and he actually liked the snow. Seeing the white flakes fall from the sky and land soundlessly to the ground had a calming effect on him. Observing further he spotted a man with brown hair and glasses walking, he was wearing a thick jacket for the cold. Simply by studying his gait Wolverine could tell he was in his thirties, and was modestly confident if there was such a thing.

He was walking towards two people that made him pay slightly more attention.

"_What are Laura and Girly-girl doing out there?"_ he thought seeing the two girls in coat.

Under ordinary circumstances he would be a bit more cautious about an older man walking by two of his young female students, but when Laura was one of them his concern took a drastic dip. If he tried anything he would have a rude awakening and probably would be thinking with the head on his shoulders more often after their encounter.

"Logan, you daydreaming?" asked Danielle

Snapping out of his internal thoughts he turned back to Moonstar, "Right, let's get sum more headaches then."

* * *

><p>Laura and Megan looked at each other with differing views. Laura saw her as nothing more than a fellow mutant, student, and now teammate however she felt she should discuss with the girl and important issue involving them both. Megan was angry with Laura but also afraid of her, she was after all the clone of one of the most dangerous X-men and could probably kill her before she had a chance to blink.<p>

"_Oh no, what if she brought me out here to kill me, so she could have Jaqueris to herself."_ Megan thought

She however crushed this paranoid thought and admonished herself for even caring about who Jaqueris preferred. He essentially answered that question when he confessed to kissing Laura anyway.

"You like Jaqueris." Said Laura

Blood rushed to Pixie's face as she started to argue, but what came out wasn't what she expected, "Yes."

Laura accepted this without issue and continued to stare at Megan who was mentally cursing herself for not standing by her resolve.

"I also favor him, what must we do about this?" Laura said

Pixie was confused at this question because she didn't have an answer to it. The selfish response would be to tell Laura to back off and let her and Jaqueris be together, but she got the impression that Laura really did not know what to do and taking advantage of someone like this was not in her nature.

"What are we going to…" she sighed "Well, first of all, why did you kiss him Laura? I mean you knew I liked him but you still kissed him, that's pretty mean." She said forming her face into a pout

Laura just gazed at her, her calm demeanor almost made Megan forget about her fear and lash out at the girl if only verbally, but she quickly bit her tongue giving Laura time to talk.

"I did not know." Laura said

This one statement caused Megan's resentment to decrease substantially. Somewhere deep in her heart she could tell that Laura was telling the truth, she was completely innocent in all of this. But if that was true then the person at fault was…

Laura snapped her head to the side as a man with brown hair and glasses approached them, she logged in the usual information. Weight: 180 lbs, Height: 5'11'', Build: Moderate, Eye Color: Hazel etc. It was a somewhat annoying side effect of her programming in the Facility. While usual if she ever had to recall the appearance of a target then she could instantly pick him out, but since her time in the Institute she found it impractical and a waste of mental energy. Nonetheless she stored the data away on the man in case it ever came in handy again.

She thought nothing of him until he passed by her and an unforgettable scent fell into her nose. Forgetting her conversation with Megan she began to walk towards him.

"Wait, Laura where are you going?" called Pixie

"That man, he carries the scent of the boy who attacked me in the mansion." She explained as closed in on the man from behind

She made no attempt to hide the sound of her footsteps as she could tell the man had no combat training and would probably have similar senses. Placing her hand on his shoulder he turned around.

"Wha…" was all he managed to say before Laura's fist cracked him in the face and knocked him out

* * *

><p>I wanted to add a bit more to this chapter, but I feel it's long enough as it is. Please review guys, I need them, I tried to make the drama as realistic as possible so I hope you enjoy it.<p> 


	21. Brotherhood Part 4

**Brotherhood Pt. 4**

* * *

><p>Null was lying, insensible, on the cold steel of an operation table his limbs strapped down by leathery brown bindings. All over his body were electrodes that were hooked up to various machines to keep track of his vital signs. Heart rate, body temperature, and pulse were just a few bodily signals that were represented by numbers and green lines on the screens of the equipment.<p>

Caduceus was watching the scene unfold from the comfortable observatory room above the people below. Null was surrounded by three men dressed in white aprons, spandex gloves, surgical masks and caps, the typical attire for a dissection. He desperately wanted to be down below and actively participate in the itemization, but he had been ordered to take only a bystanding role in this operation.

"Disembowel one guy and they assume you're Hannibal Lector." He said to himself

The men below were checking and double checking the equipment to ensure that they could pick up the minutest physical fluctuations that occurred in Null while he was under the knife. To tell the truth he was becoming impatient with the time it was taking to carry on with the operation.

"_I want to see the blood!_" he heard the internal voice command

He covered his face with his palm as he tried to calm himself down; he couldn't have **that** side of him showing up now at least not now. There would be plenty of time to indulge in his dark fantasies later, but for now he would have to settle for the small trifle that was occurring below…if they ever got to it that is.

Pressing the button to the intercom that would allow him to speak through the glass he said, "Gentlemen, are we ready to begin?" he asked trying to hide his anticipation

One man turned to look up and nodded his answer, "Good, please proceed." He let a crooked smile out at his satisfaction

He looked down at the utensils that would be used in a few moments, _"Use the scalpel, the scalpel." _he thought madly to himself

One of the doctors picked up a shiny stainless steel scalpel and Caduceus wanted to jump out of his skin in excitement, but held himself in check. Slowly holding the tool in front of his blue eyes the man looked at the other two dark eyes around him before lowering the blade down to the chest of Null.

Caduceus looked with eagerness as the man lowered the blade; he imagined a crimson mist of blood shooting into the air once the knife parted his skin. A sadistic grin crept on his face as the blade made contact with Null's stomach.

Blood leaked out from the superficial wound made by the cut, but the doctor pulled it away for some reason. His fellow surgeons gave him a questioning look, "Fred, what are you doing?"

Gripping the scalpel the man looked at his colleague, "This…this is wrong, he's just a kid." The man said

Caduceus was watching with a slight scowl on his face confused about the pause in the man's hands. Pressing his finger on the intercom once again he said, "I hope no one down there is developing a conscience. You know the obligations you hold to this organization, gentlemen."

Fred could sense the irritation in his voice despite the fact he was behind a pane of glass, he also knew the aggressive streak that surrounded Caduceus which was only fully realized when a punishment was being issued. In spite of this the thought of cutting into a young teenage boy was something he could not bring himself to do. The problem lay not in the issue of blood or graphic imagery, but the fact that the boy was still alive, barely due to the tranquilizers but alive nonetheless.

This was not a cadaver he was cutting into, but a breathing human being, and to dissect him in this way was beyond inhumane. Feeling a hand come on his shoulder he looked to his left at the black haired man, "Don't get cold feet now Fred. You know what A.I.M. does to people who can't follow orders."

While he tried to convince his friend from making a colossal mistake that could potentially ruin his life, the monitor that showed the heart rate of Null began to rise. This was witnessed only by the third brunette haired man.

"Uh…guys." He tired to warn

Fred either ignored or didn't hear his friend because he continued to look at his other partner, "I know that Jordan, but can you honestly say that you will be able to look yourself in the mirror after doing this?"

The number on the heart monitor rose higher and made a beeping noise, but no one but the observant surgeon seemed to notice.

"You two should really take a look at this." He said

Ignoring him once again Jordan said, "Maybe not but it's better to be self-loathing than six feet under."

Fred could not agree with that, to live knowing you willingly destroyed someone's life was not something he thought he could do. Jordan was right about one thing though, A.I.M. had an unofficial policy on how to deal with disobedient employees which encouraged everyone to carry out their orders without question.

A audible beep sounded off from the machine prompting their worried friend to say, "Jordan, Fred! Look!" he almost yelled

No longer able to tune him out both of the men shouted, "What?"

Their answer was given when Null's body jerked forward held in place only by the fastenings on his arms and legs. All three jumped back from his sudden reanimation as he began to struggle to free himself. Thrashing like a wild animal it was only the voice of Caduceus that brought the three to their senses.

"I think you should try to restrain him, I doubt he will be grateful if he manages to break free." He said calmly

Following his advice Fred grabbed a hold of Null's left arm, "Paul, grab that anesthesia! Jordan hold his legs!" commanded

The two men did as they were told; Paul obtained the syringe from the tray also holding the surgical tools and removed the cap. Jordan tried to restrain the flaying legs of Null, **trying **because the boy was proving to be unusually strong for someone his age, hell for anyone at any age as a matter of fact.

Paul grabbed his hand with one hand and prepared to insert the needle, seeing this Fred relaxed just a little which he regretted because when Null spotted the needle he went ballistic. With some effort he ripped his arm from the strap and grabbed the collar of Paul. Because the needle was so close to him it embedded itself in his arm.

Paul gazed into his eyes and found himself about to wet his pants at their appearance; they were pitch black, with the sclera, cornea, and pupil all the color of the darkest night. For some odd reason despite his fear he found himself transfixed by the abyss that seemed to go on forever. The dark orbs seemed to hold a mystical sway over him and he felt his arms go limp and his mind float. It was like he was in a state of conscious sleep and he didn't want to wake up anytime soon.

_"Gaaaaaahhh!"_ Paul cried as his spellbound state was broken when Null head butted him across his nose. The bone cracked under the pressure as blood spurted from his nostrils. He fell on the floor as he held his muzzle in pain.

His two friend saw this happen and their confidence in restraining the boy dipped by a noticeable degree. Sensing this Null broke the strap holding his right leg and kicked Jordan hard in the chest sending him sliding across the floor. Disregarding the fact that he was strong enough to kick a full grown man several feet like he was hitting a soccer ball he held out his freed hand and conjured a curved knife with a coiled handle.

Caduceus noticed that the purple light that accompanied his manifestations was not present instead there was a black mist that appeared as the knife popped into his hand.

"_Interesting."_ He thought

Null in his haste did not notice this cosmetic difference and instead jammed the blade into the shoulder of Fred.

_"Aaaaaahhhhh!"_ he screamed as blood sprayed out of his shoulder, he grabbed the blade as he fell backwards to the ground.

Noticing his chance, Null unfastened the remainder of his bindings and hopped down from the medical table. His mind felt…different somehow, hazy but clear, focused yet scattered, he blamed this feeling on the drugs in his system and the man that put them there.

Looking up he glared at the man who put him in this position. Caduceus' arms were crossed as he returned the look but without the hostility. The stare off continued until a black mist covered Null's right hand, leaving behind a long barreled Python Magnum, black with a wooden handle made it look like a true weapon of death.

Aiming down the sights he fired with hate in his heart

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

The bullets hit the glass, cracks appeared showing the bullets would have struck him in the chest had the pane not been reinforced. The look Caduceus was giving him made it seem like he was being mocked, even though he wasn't making any expression. Throwing his gun to the ground in frustration he refocused on escaping this hellhole.

His eyes landed on the sliding doorway he made a break for the exit.

Seeing him move towards the door Caduceus pulled the walkie talkie from his pocket, "Get me a team in the science area immediately." He said

Running into the door he pushed against it fruitlessly, he knew this motion would not work but he needed to do something. Still he was angry that his route of escape was shut off, so he did the only thing he knew to do when he was angry. He cocked his arm back and punched the door with tremendous force.

Expecting his knuckles to break from the force he put behind the strike, he was surprised when he not only felt no pain but his fist left a clear impression of his knuckles in the metal door.

"That's new." He said to himself

* * *

><p>Maria typed and clicked the mouse of the laptop with an unbreakable focal point her white coat had been removed to reveal a black sleeveless t-shirt underneath. She had broken into the private quarters belonging to Caduceus to gain access to his computer or more specifically his files.<p>

The room was dark save for the light cast by the computer screen. His files were heavily protected from prying eyes so she was having a time obtaining them. Most people would consider it suicide to enter Caduceus' room with or without his permission, it was like the forest at night that held the big bad wolf that scared little kids except this wolf was all too real and his fangs were a little sharper than any fairy tale lupine.

This did not matter to Maria however as this might be the only opportunity she had to end this mess. Caduceus was in direct contact with the Director of this section of A.I.M and she would only be able to contact him through this laptop. Her plan was to send him a message that the testing of Ja'Keyon's healing factor was complete and met with satisfactory results.

She hoped that he would then end Ja'Keyon's torture and send him back on missions where he could actually defend himself and had a much higher chance of surviving.

"Finally." She said aloud as she managed to hack into the private files of Caduceus

Not wanting to waste time by patting herself on the back she scrolled over the icon that read messages. Clicking on it she saw that his inbox had one message, surprised that anyone would even think of contacting the psychopath she clicked on it.

The message opened and she was flabbergasted at what she saw, "That bastard!" she said holding her hand over her mouth

_Brrrrnggggg!_

Maria jumped from her seat as the alarm of the base blared loudly. The alarm only sounded in times of emergency, but she wondered what could be causing such uproar in such a heavily fortified base.

* * *

><p>A team of five AK74u-armed yellow clad soldiers were stationed on the other side of the door leading into the surgical area. They had their weapons trained on the door and would be ready to fire as soon as it opened. A loud banging noise could be heard on the other side as Null attempted to escape, something that seemed unrealistic to the veterans, but they were prepared regardless.<p>

"Don't worry about killing him, Captain, his healing factor will keep him alive so fire at will?" asked Caduceus through the headset inside the helmets of the soldiers

"Yes, sir!" said the leader of the squad, he was a little bit happy he was allowed to use liver rounds. The freak beyond the door had put more than a few of his buddies in the infirmary, this would be a chance get a little payback.

_Thump!_

The door slowly fell to the ground, no longer able to withstand the beating it was taking. On the other side was Null holding the edges of the door his abysmal eyes staring ahead. He was expecting the squad waiting for him, but with slightly more people.

"Oh well, guess I can really see how fast I heal." He said defiantly

Feeling extra brutal he pulled a knife into existence and sprinted at the yellow obstacles in his path.

"Open Fire!" yelled the Captain as their target leapt into the air

The bullets tore into his body hitting mostly his abdomen and chest, but he kept coming. Jabbing the knife into the head of the nearest soldier, making a wet cracking noise as metal met bone, blood jumped onto his chest to add to his own, kneeing the now dead man in the chin, he removed his knife and slit the throat of a guard standing over his now deceased friend.

By now the remaining three had wised up and figured out that close quarter combat was not productive to capturing him. Backing away they opened fire again, this time the attack managed to knock him down to the floor.

"Cease fire!" he heard who he presumed to be the leader shout

It was dead silent for a moment as Null just laid there on the floor seemingly defeated, at least to the unobservant eyes of the guards. If they had paid close enough attention they would have noticed that Null's body began to speedily heal his injuries, thinking on his feet he grabbed the body of the man beside him. Hoisting him up in front of him he ran forward

"Open Fire!" The same man ordered

The gunfire only knicked away his flesh as the meaty safeguard took the brunt of the automatic fire, globs of blood dropped to the floor as bone and chunks of skin were kicked away by the bullets.

"Raaaaaaggghhhh!" he roared as he pushed back against the hail of fire attempting to pin him down

Fortunately or unfortunately, the gun fire stopped when the one's pulling the triggers had to reload. Frantically they searched for their spare clips as Null dropped the bullet ridden body to the floor. Knife in hand he charged forward and literally cut out the middle man when he stabbed him in the chest. The man's last gasp flowed into his ear as he fell to the ground with Null on top.

Taking the blade from his chest cavity he flipped it in the air before throwing it into the shoulder of the guard to his left, he fell holding his new bloody hole. This left one more enemy to deal with; the man seemed to have lost his nerve as he fiddled with his extra clip of ammo. He finally managed to ejected his empty clip and insert the new one and was about to open fire once more.

However he stopped when his entire body went numb and his vision blurred sharply. A trickle of blood fell from his nose and he looked down to the last sight he would see while he was alive. A black organic tendril had pierced into his chest and it was attached to the arm of Null.

The boy seemed to be as shocked as the soldier was and he kept that look even after the tendril disappeared in a puff of black smoke. The man fell to the ground lifeless with a gaping hole where his heart used to be.

Null surveyed his palm like he had just received a new prosthetic. He had never shown that power before or the super strength. He didn't have time to ponder though as the sound of a submachine gun ripped through the air.

Just as he heard it or maybe before he got a fleeting feeling all over his body, his vision was covered in black smoke and it seemed like he was moving, but he was sure he wasn't walking. The next thing he knew he was on the outside of the base.

* * *

><p>Back inside the facility, the soldier with the blade in his shoulder talked into the headset inside his helmet, "Sir, did you know he could teleport?"<p>

* * *

><p>It took Null sometime to take in his surroundings even though he knew where he was, and that was the outer wall of the facility. He was between the two sniper towers, the cold snow dug between his toes and he could feel the biting chill of the cool air especially because all he was wearing was a pair of black spandex shorts.<p>

He took the quick breather to analyze the situation, judging from the area he was just outside the south wall, which meant if he continue straight he would come to a cliff. If he jumped off he could make a parachute and fall safely to the ground and escape. Of course that was if he managed not to be brought down by one of the snipers or…the mines.

He knew the layout of the area so he knew that proximity mines were buried not too far from the wall. The exact limits of his healing factor were still a mystery to him, but he still was unsure if he could survive having his leg blown off or his body separated into little pieces.

"_So I have a choice either run and take the chance of having my brains splattered and blown to high hell or wait here and be caught by Caduceus and subjected to more of his special brand of torture." He thought_

The decision was easy enough to make for him; he made a mad dash off into the distance. He felt rocks dig into his flesh and the cold was making his feet numb but it didn't matter to him, this was his chance at freedom and he wasn't about to let it slip because of a little frostbite.

While he was making his attempt at freedom, his escape was caught by one of the snipers in the watch towers. He had on light grey armor and shades along with a face mask that made him look like an ignorant interpretation of a spec ops sniper. Holstering his Russian Dragunov he aimed through the green lenses of the scope.

The boy was running at a brisk pace and a perfect shot would be difficult to do, but he might not have to worry about that because he was fast approaching the minefield.

Null was curious as to why he had not been fired upon yet; standard protocol was to take down any escapees or unauthorized intruders so why was he still running and not reeling from the pain of a high caliber round. Not one to question providence, he persisted in his gallop towards escape.

"Do you have a visual on Null, Tower 1?" said Caduceus through the headset

The reticule of the variable zoom followed Null like an ominous cloud focusing on his torso. "That's affirmative, sir." Said the sniper

"Good, he has a healing factor, so it's going to have to be a headshot. That should incapacitate him long enough for us to recover him."

Nodding, the sniper had been at this long enough to know a headshot would be difficult from this range and stance. The target was moving and steadily increasing distance, but luckily he was not the only one in this tower.

"Jerry, I'mma need you to spot me!" he said to the man behind him

Without saying a word a man with long blond hair tied back into a pony tail with blue eyes, and wearing the same dark and grey armor of his comrade place his rifle beside a wall and pulled out a pair of binoculars from his belt.

Looking through it he found Null's retreating form, "I got you Thomas."

Null was astounded by how far he had run without tiring, being shot, or blown up. He was at least 30 yards away from the wall by now and nothing unfortunate had befallen him as of yet. Not wanting to jinx it however he put his mind completely back on the task of getting to his escape.

"_Too late."_ He thought when he caught sight of what or rather who was in front of him

Standing a few feet ahead of him was a man with a brown hood and scarf covering the lower part of his face. A russet sleeve covered his left arm, he wore black figureless gloves and by his sleeveless right arm he could tell he was African American. He was 6'5'' and well muscled.

He was wearing black combat boots with a grey shirt, body armor covering his torso, but his appearance wasn't what really struck Null. It was his eyes, by all outward appearances they were dark brown, but to Null they were out of place. While he could take a guess that the mysterious man was relatively young, his eyes seemed to be light years ahead of him. They carried an air or weariness that seemed reserved for witnesses of the Holocaust or other survivors of a great tragedy.

"Who the hell are you?" interrogated Null none too happy at being held up

The enigma standing in front of him turned his head slightly and looked behind Null, seemingly not interested in answering his question, "This brings back memories."

Knowing that the window of opportunity to escape was closing the more he stayed still Null was about to conjure a gun in his hand to get rid of the man, but as he did so however he made a shocking discovery. His entire body was frozen in place, he couldn't even speak.

Trying to at least twitch his fingers he found them to paralyze as well, not even his jaw was exempt from this paralysis. Moving his own brown eyes to the man he could tell he was responsible and expected to see a cocky look in his eyes, but was amazed again when all he got was a profound…sadness.

"I'm sorry Ja'Keyon." He said cryptically

That was the last thing he heard before the sniper fired on him.

* * *

><p>Logan rubbed his nose as the scent of Jaqueris' brother tickled his senses. This man lying asleep on the bed before them definitely had the young boy's sent mixed in with his own, which made him a likely affiliate of A.I.M. He had been carried in the room like a drunkard by Josh and Jaqueris. The mutants had gathered around him, looking on as if he were some new discovery of some kind.<p>

"How did you get him upstairs without anyone asking any questions?" he asked looking at Elixir and Nova

"Well, it was my idea." Said Pixie making Logan turn his gaze to her "We acted like he was I and Laura's father who had a few too many drinks."

Logan nodded showing that he was actually a little impressed at the girl's ingenuity now they wouldn't have to answer any unwanted questions about the unconscious man in their room.

"Alright, wake him up, Jaqueris." Said Dani

At this Jaqueris held up his finger and sent a visible current to his phalange. Lowering it he touched the man to resuscitate him like a living defibrillator. His body shook for a moment before his eyes slowly opened to reveal black eyes.

He ran his hand through his brown hair as he tried to take in his new environment. His head felt like he had been hit with a bag of bricks and was throbbing but he could see that he was in a hotel room and that there were people around him.

Moving his head to his left he spotted a short, but muscular man with pork chop sideburns and a contemplative gaze sitting cross-legged in a chair in front of him. Beside him, also in a chair, was an attractive woman of Native American descent with her black hair tied into a long braided pony tail her brown eyes studied him closely.

Behind her was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a blue jacket with grey pants. There were other teenagers as well including a lithe pink haired girl with wings as well as a tall African-American boy who was leaning over him.

"Aaahh!" he said jumping back from spotting the girl who had knocked him out

She had the greenest eyes and long black hair and looked at him with a cold calculating eye. He had no idea who these people were, but his mind jumped to the conclusion that they meant him harm. Why else would he be knocked out cold and dragged to a secluded area?

"Who are you?" asked the creepy girl

For some reason the idea of being uncooperative never entered his mind when he looked at her and without thinking he said, "Lysander Dascalopolis Stevens."

He saw more than a few faces change at the nature of his name, "Is that European or something?" said the blonde boy

"It sounds like the name of a dinosaur." Added the fairy girl

Not really appreciated the ridicule his name was receiving he interjected, "It's Greek."

Not caring about his name only his connection to the terrorist organization and his brother Jaqueris butted in, "What do you know about my brother?"

"Brother?" he looked the boy in the face and after a few moments his memory filled in the blanks of who he was, "Oh my god, it's you!" he said suddenly

Jaqueris squinted his eyes in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, of course you don't know. How could you?" he said obscurely

The group was at a loss of the meaning of his words and some of them wondered if perhaps Laura had struck him too hard on the cranium and had dislodged something. If his cognitive ability was impaired in any way that presented a whole new problem on what to do with him.

"I'm gonna need you to start making sense, bub." Said Logan leaning forward

Sighing the man rubbed his forehead, "Yes, I'm sorry about that." He looked at Jaqueris with a serious expression, "You see young man A.I.M….are the ones who created you and your brother."

* * *

><p>Sorry this chapter was shorter than the others, but I feel that I should try and lengthen this arc out a little as ending it in six would feel too short to me. Please tell me what you guys think of the revelation at the end and this chapter overall.<p> 


	22. Brotherhood Part 5

**Brotherhood Pt. 5**

* * *

><p>"What did you just say?" asked Jaqueris with what he thought was an undertone of anger<p>

His pitch was not as covert as he would have hoped however because his somatic reflexes betrayed his real emotions. His hands were clenched tightly and he was leaning slightly over the man with a scowl beginning to form over his face add in the fact that his eyes had a faint white glow to him and a newborn babe could tell he was angry.

Though no one could blame him in this situation, not after what he had just been told by the stranger that was now sitting uncomfortably on the bed in front of them. Choosing his words carefully he stated, "I know this must come as a shock to you but A.I.M. was responsible for your birth."

Jaqueris ran his hand down his face in an attempt to calm himself, the saying, "Don't kill the messenger" was sounding like something to be ignored at the moment. To even joke about such a claim was warrant for a severe beating in his book and he wanted to do just that, only his self control was keeping him in check at the moment and that was slipping drastically. But the thing that bothered him the most was not the likelihood of the man lying, but the fact that he was not lying.

Due to his powers he could detect when a lie was being told because of the physical reaction that took place when someone deliberately lied. It presented itself as a tingling feeling inside his head; he had become aware of it when he had stayed in New York fighting Capelli.

Logan turned in the direction of the boy, his scent had changed like a prostitute's client and he was now seething in rage, but he gave him kudos for being able to keep himself in check. After all learning that you were the byproduct of some organization's workings was more than a kick in the head and he should know. He just hoped Jack didn't go ape shit on the man, a fry cooked man resembling a human sized charcoal would be next to impossible to explain to the hotel.

Laura detected the change in Jaqueris' persona as well, but she didn't need her heightened senses to know how he was feeling. Lysander was telling the truth, his heart rate and perspiration levels only increasing after seeing Jaqueris' reaction to this information, but staying level when he was revealing everything. She could instantly relate to Jaqueris' predicament, having been created from Wolverine's DNA and incubated inside of her mother, a scientist of the Facility; she was born knowing her birth had been manipulated from the very beginning.

"Explain." Said Jaqueris almost growling

Lysander might not have had the mutant powers of Laura, Logan, and Jaqueris to help him identify a person's emotional state, but he didn't need them to decipher that Nova was in no mood for games so he said, "You see, A.I.M. is a rival of the clandestine organization called Weapon X."

Logan grunted at the name of the group responsible for bonding the unbreakable metal to his bones but said nothing beyond that. Jaqueris would need to hear what was coming, he had a feeling it would either break or make him, just like it did…does Logan.

"It observed that Weapon X was able to create successful superhuman weapons using science and genetics." He continued

This time Laura's nose flared at the word "weapon" and like Logan said nothing allowing the man to continue. Unbeknownst to the two claw wielding mutants he had caught their slight betrayals of emotions and felt that much more nervous in revealing Jaqueris' past.

Rubbing the lateral notch over his throat he began again, "Wanting to stay competitive it launched its own campaign after the Cosmic Cube, and Super-Adaptoid it went into mutant weaponization." He wasn't sure how he would react to the word "weaponization" but he assumed he couldn't get angrier than he was at present

"Me?" asked Jaqueris through gritted teeth

Lysander nodded and wiped a little sweat from his brow, "Yes, you were the intended result."

"What do you mean intended?" asked Danielle

The mutants focus seemed to increase tenfold when the woman asked this question making Lysander's heart skip a beat at their gaze or more accurately the glare of Jaqueris. He would definitely have to think before he spoke now, one unnecessarily harsh statement could spell the end of his life right here on this bed.

Breathing out deeply he said, "Its name was Project Genesis. An agent of A.I.M would be implanted with high levels of MGH, but not lethal doses, only enough to allow him to manifest powers."

Megan wanted to ask what MGH stood for, but the thick tension in the air made her afraid of having her head bitten off if her question proved to be stupid by someone's standards, so she just listened.

"Once that was done, many female candidates were screened with the ideal being a fit, independent woman, who could care for herself and the child. The agent would then impregnate this woman and the conception would hopefully breed a powerful mutant child. The child would then be taken from the mother and trained by A.I.M."

Josh cringed at the way childbirth was used by these wack jobs. He was no romanticist but even he knew that the decision to bring a child into this world was something that should be undergone with the thought of nurturing and loving the child as a person and not a weapon. He looked at Laura and realized that she had been the victim of a similar disaster such Jaqueris, he wanted to say something, but words were lost to him at this point.

"Unfortunately, there were many failures. The child would often be born human and not manifest powers even after puberty. A.I.M. caught on to this and realizing such results as unsatisfactory they took…severe methods to ensure none of the children could be linked back to one of their agents."

Now everyone was curious as to what these measures were but Wolverine, always the belligerent one, spoke up, "What drastic measures?"

Lysander held his breath for a moment and looked Jaqueris in the eye whose fury was now mixed with expectancy. Breathing out he said, "If a child did not test positive for the X gene…then it and their mother was to be terminated."

Stopping Lysander allowed them to take in the weight of this atrocity. He could see the pixie girl's shock as she covered her mouth, as well as the Caucasian boy who took a step back with wide eyes even the Native American showed signs of disgust by raising the corner of her mouth baring her teeth.

He expected similar tells from the remaining three but was shown only the stoic faces of the green eyed girl and the short man with huge sideburns, it was as if they had expected such a thing to be done. He was taken aback more, however, by Jaqueris' lack of emotion since this dealt with him so personally it would not have been inappropriate for him to fly into a huge rage over this development.

But he didn't do anything; he just stared at the man and waited patiently for him to continue his story.

"_Poor boy, he must be numb from the trauma." _Thought Lysander

Taking off his glasses and wiping them he progressed with his tale, "There's more. A.I.M. knew that to continue in this way would be counterproductive so they were going to discontinue Genesis, but the same agent who was chosen to partake in this experiment managed to convince the top brass to persist."

"Sure, he wasn't just addicted to all the ass he was getting?" quipped Logan, but it wasn't meant as a joke

Not responding to the retort Lysander said, "The Directors agreed, but only one more time. Taking this chance the agent went out one last time and came across a woman." He looked again into the wells of Jaqueris' eyes that seemed to be lost in space at the moment, but Lysander knew he was listening.

"Her name was Lynn Robertson. Your mother." He finished

Jaqueris took the news with apathy, these revelations were already doing a number on his mind, but he could not turn away now. Not after all that had been revealed, if he did he would always be searching for the truth even if it took him the rest of his natural lifespan.

"Doing as the organization ordered he impregnated your mother. But they had not counted on two things." He said this holding up the number two to emphasize his point

Jaqueris wished he would not do this and get to the point already, his patience was at its bare minimum and he wasn't sure he could take anymore waiting. Narrowing is eyes at the man; he seemed to receive the message and started again.

"The first was Love. Your father fell in love with your mother and decided to stay with her…for six years. Needless to say the A.I.M. did not like this and ordered your father to leave or they would kill her, you, and him."

Jaqueris shook at this news before buckling no longer able to take the news standing, what this man was telling him did not add up, but he could detect no lies being told so it had to be true. He was stopped from falling by Logan who sat him down in the chair he was in. Danielle and his fellow students gathered around them as his teacher put a hand on his forehead.

"That's enough, he's about to go into damn shock! This discussion is over." Said Danielle

"No!" Jaqueris yelled he had come this far and he was not going to be robbed of the truth just because his body could not handle the stress "I want him to continue, if I collapse Elixir will heal me."

"His healing doesn't work on mental injuries." Informed Danielle

"She's right." Supported Josh

"Jaqueris listen to Ms. Moonstar, you should take a break." Urged Pixie completely forgetting the fact that she was supposed to be angry with him for his cheating ways

The teenage boy looked at the two females and Joah; he wasn't in the right mood to be appreciative of their concern only annoyed that they were trying to stop him from figuring out the reality of his birth. Focusing back on Lysander he said, "Keep going."

Dani's mouth dropped at his decision while Megan stood up and turned away from him not wanting to see his reaction when the man continued as well as to stop herself from crying at his deteriorating state she faced the wall and did not turn back.

"As you wish." Lysander placed his spectacles on the bed as he prepared to finish, he wasn't entirely sure about telling the boy the whole truth as well. This level of information was enough to send most people spiraling out of control, yet the boy still hung on, he really was stubborn just like his father. He could already feel a kind of respect forming for the lad.

"Your father left your mother and returned to A.I.M. However they were not too keen on leaving your mother and yourself be. They kidnapped you and altered your memories so that your father was replaced by an agent they knew they could trust. They also fabricated the lie that your father had been cheating on your mother causing their divorce and not only you, but your whole family and anybody else that had come into contact with the agent while he was with your mother. Learning of this your real father left the organization and was never heard from again." he elaborated

This struck a chord in Logan's heart; the concept of false memories was another thing he could relate to. The thought that the experiences you hold near and dear to your heart might not be factual was a pain far worse than anything any knife, gun, or explosion could produce. The additional weight of learning that your father was not actually your father must have been crushing to Jaqueris right now.

Jaqueris breathed in audibly and exhaled the same way, his heart was pounding and his palms were sweaty, he did not know how many more secrets he could take, but he would not stop now his mind would not let him even though it was the main thing being punished at the moment.

"You said there was a second thing they did not expect. What was it?" Jaqueris asked

Looking up, down at his palms, then back into the eyes of Jaqueris he said, "Ja'Keyon. There was never supposed to be a second child. He was born after your real father left, A.I.M. monitored you both for years, and hoping one of you would manifest powers. They even strategically placed agents to check on you, your basketball coach being one of them."

Jaqueris sank into his chair and grabbed the sides with extreme force. Was there no end to the manipulations that A.I.M. was willing to implement? There seemed to be no definite limit, he had known Marcus, Barry, and Capelli but none of them compared to the level of opportunism these people were capable of.

"I guess they got their wish." He said

Agreeing with a motion of his head Lysander carried on, "That night everything changed didn't it? Something triggered the onset of your powers and your brothers; you incinerated your entire school and several blocks as well as blacking out all of the Bronx with an EMP as well as any electronics used to spy on you. Not wanting to lose their prize, A.I.M. moved in and tried to capture you, but you were gone and all they found was your brother, miraculously surviving the explosion." He finally concluded

With his tale now complete Lysander studied the expression of those around him. There was shock, disgust, sadness, and familiarity but strangely none of these came from Jaqueris. The only thing that struck him as strange was the blank face of Jaqueris. After all he had heard he was just sitting there piercing the Greek with his gaze.

He then stood up and walked towards the door and without turning around and said, "I want to know one more thing? Does Ja'Keyon know?"

Hesitating because he was not sure if the next exposure would cause him to suffer from a mental breakdown he finally said, "No."

Jaqueris lowered his head a little, and Lysander wondered if he was relieved at the news, before he walked out the door with no one stopping him.

* * *

><p>The cool metal braces dug into the flesh of his wrists and ankles pinning him painfully to the wall. His limbs were spread out like an X each one held in place by powerful restraints, and as an extra precaution there was a glowering beam of light shining down on his head. Good thing he had a mat of black peezy hair, a product of his healing factor, because the heat from the giant lamp was tiring.<p>

His dark skin dripped sweat onto the floor, he was suspended about three feet off the ground, there were no windows, vents, just a door that was used for entering and leaving, obviously not for him though. Trying to move his arms and legs seemed to only increase his discomfort by a margin so he stopped a while ago. He also found that the light seemed to be sapping his strength and he could not even conjure weapons now nor did he have the super strength to break from these bonds.

His body was also weakening at a brisk pace, he had not eaten for three days now and besides the water Maria had given him, he had not drunken in two. The chances of him "healing" from dehydration and starvation were slim as they were not actual injuries, the distinctive pain of hunger and the cotton mouth showed him that. Though these circumstance did do one thing positive for him and that was fill him with the will to kill once he finally escaped.

"_Xavier's prison was a cake walk compared to this gulag. At least there I wasn't shot stabbed or blown up."_ He thought

The door slid open to reveal that now hated figure walk through, Caduceus, plodded arrogantly to him on the wall. Null could look down at him from his position but there was no mistake, in this relationship Caduceus was the one in the superior position.

He stopped in front of him and put his hand under his chin as he observed Null's noggin, first the forehead then the temporal lobes. Seemingly satisfied he stopped his studying and spoke in that god awful tone, "I'm impressed a 7.62x54mm armor-piercing round and you don't even have a scar to show for it."

Null said nothing, he was done talking with this piece of filth, and all he thought about now was killing him. To impart some semblance of the pain he had endured onto him and then end him in the most grotesque way. This sick desire was the only thing that kept him going now so he kept it at the forefront of his mind never letting the feeling waver even for a minute just letting it fester and build so that one day soon, he could unleash it all on the people who had done this to him.

"You know that dark smoke trick you pulled was a neat one, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were holding out on us this whole time." He said smiling putting his face closer to Null

He was rewarded for his proximity by a thin glob of gooey spit landing onto his face. Retracting from this blatant show of disrespect Caduceus produced a handkerchief from his coat pocket.

"Now that was rude." He said wiping the saliva from his face the smile no longer present instead a deep grimace

Null let a speck of a smile show on his face from his miniscule victory, now if he died at least he made the bastard upset before he went. His torturer seemed to have noticed his happiness however and stared for a moment, he could not have Null being happy, it just would not do.

"You know, you would think after your little performance the other day the Director would let me end this little game of ours." He then went inside his coat pocket to pull out a small ASP handgun with a shortened barrel "Yet here you are."

He pointed the weapon at Null's abdomen.

_Bang! Bang!_

The two bullets burned into his stomach, he would have writhed if he could move his limbs but had to settle for squirming and moving his back across the hard rock wall for now. The pain was nothing new to him because he had been pumped full of lead during his escape attempt, but that didn't mean the shots didn't hurt like hell.

He held still and breathed out multiple times through clenched teeth as he waited for his body to heal. Just as he thought this the bullets fell from their entry wounds onto the floor making small puddles of blood, the holes in his stomach closed within two seconds of the bullets leaving his body. He sighed as he returned to full health physically and glared at the man in front of him.

"Do you have any idea, how much fun I could have with you?" said the man lowering the gun

"_Great he's a pedophile too. That gives me one more reason to cut off his head." _Thought Null evilly

"For days on end I could experiment with the various methods of torture, and it would never end." This time he raised the gun and pointed it close to the forehead of the defenseless boy, Null stared down the empty barrel knowing full well that a shot to his brain would not kill him, but Caduceus wasn't interested in his death as he pulled the gun away.

"But that's not what I'm here for, I have been ordered to test your limits and that's what I intend to do." He informed

Null would have sucked his teeth at the BS coming from his mouth if he had any saliva left. The only reason the man was here was to satisfy the twisted urges he had.

Suddenly the door opened again, and Null thought it was perhaps Maria or Stevens to save him momentarily of the presence of the evil man before him. His eyes widened in disappointment and alarm when he saw who was actually walking into the door or rather what he was carrying.

Moving towards him was a man in the standard uniform of A.I.M, the yellow NBC suits with beekeeper like helmets. But this soldier was different instead of a rifle he was carrying, on his back, a tank that held the fuel to one of the most terrifying weapons that could be held by one man.

It gained infamy in World War I when it was used by the Nazi on the Western Front and gained increased popularity in the Second World War. Trench warfare was its intended use, but now he knew it would only be used to deliver excruciating pain onto him.

"This flamethrower holds its maximum capacity, so I'd give it about 7 minutes of continuous burning time." Notified Caduceus gleefully

Null's face darkened at the length of the man's sadism, if he hated him before he absolutely loathed him now. If he got out…when he got out the things that would be done to him would be astronomical, they would put Hitler's mechanizations to shame. But first he had to contend with the issue at hand.

"Now then shall we begin?" he said

As the man pulled the trigger the entire base was flooded with the agonized screams of Ja'Keyon Malcolm.

* * *

><p>Megan flew through the air as fast as she could not caring that the cold air was blowing hard in her face. Jaqueris had walked out calmly from the room a few minutes before but any idiot could tell he was anything, but serene. She had been too stunned to respond immediately and just stared at the doorway for a moment. When her senses finally returned she acted, but Dani had tried to dissuade her from following Jaqueris saying, "He needed time alone."<p>

Not even registering her persuasion, she followed after him and was now searching frantically for any sign of his presence. She assumed that he had flown away from the hotel, but she didn't know which direction so she decided to circle the area until she hopefully came across him.

Stopping in the air she surveyed the ground there were no burnt trees or sounds of rage being released so she knew he was not in this part of the forest.

_Booooooom!_

She jumped from the sound resembling thunder reverberate from behind her and the flash of blue light accompanying it. Making a 360 she saw another streak of electricity shoot into the air creating another loud boom.

Knowing where she was headed now she made a beeline towards the lightning generator.

* * *

><p>Streaks of energy crashed into the ground, melting the snow as well as kicking up rubble. The area around him was marked by potholes and pockets of melted snow along with black grass. Jaqueris didn't care and he fully intended to add more of his destructive brand of décor to the area. So far only the tall pine trees had managed to avoid his wrath but for how long was anyone's guess as he had tipped over some of the smaller ones.<p>

Spotting a large boulder he pointed his palm at it and send as many pounds of gravitational force as he could muster at the rock. The stone shattered into pebbles scattering along the ground and shooting into the air like fireworks. Not yet done he punched the air sending out a volley of electrical blasts as he did so. Most struck the ground but a few came dangerously close to the trees, but Jaqueris' uncaring attitude negated the danger he could be causing the environment.

Feeling the effects of his barrage for a moment he fell to his knees. At that moment Pixie landed behind him and took in the carnage around her. The land area was basically unrecognizable from what she had expected. Trees were bent or otherwise broken, the ground was black from intense heat, and snow had been dissolved back into its natural liquid state.

Hoping he was done Megan held her hands together as if praying and looked at Jaqueris who was on the ground on his knees. Her hope was dashed however when she saw electricity crackle over his arms and down into his balled fists. Raising his arms he yelled, "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggghh!"

Then slamming his fists into the ground he released a downward pressure of gravity that flattened the ground beneath him and created a respectable sized crater extending outward from Jaqueris to a few feet in front of Pixie. The force even managed to lift her a few inches from the ground.

Megan didn't know what to do consciously, she was apprehensive of approaching him as he knelt there with his hands on the ground leaning over and staring down obviously shell shocked. He did seem to notice that she was there and he did not move for a good amount of time ostensibly gathering himself.

Disobeying the logical part of her mind that told her to flee she flew over to him inside the crater. She realized that it was not deep only extending about a foot into the ground, but it was wide instead. Stopping beside him she placed both of her hands on his shoulders to try and help him up.

"Come on, Jaqueris, you can't just sit here." She said

He was uncooperative at first, not even looking at her, forcing her to use the little strength that her small body offered her. His 175 pounds was a little more than she could handle and was about to drop him until he seemed to come to life and stand up on his own.

He looked at Megan with sorrowful eyes, they glistened from tears that threatened to spill over held back only by his stubbornness. She knew she could never relate to what he was feeling while her life had never been perfect it had never been construed and piloted like his own, but that didn't stop her from wanting to comfort him.

"Are you doing better now?" she asked motioning her hand to his cheek

He didn't answer but instead snapped his body in a 180 degree direction. Holding up a balled fist a bright green light formed around his hand, without further suspense he fired off a wide beam of gamma irradiation that traveled and obliterated the trees in its path.

The flash did not last long, but when it dissipated Jaqueris lowered his hand and stared at what he had done. Entire rows of trees had been reduced to black leafless stilts of their former selves; most had fallen over if not condensed into dark ash. The snow shared the new obsidian look making this portion seem like a wasteland.

This display seemed to give Megan a little look inside his mind at the moment. He was hurting, clearly, but the trauma was too great for him to put into words so this was the only way he could release his pent up emotions. Taking his face into her small hands she held his gaze and through her pink eyes she communicated that she was here for him.

Mental fatigue finally caught up to Jaqueris and he lowered himself on the ground, he stopped on one knee and placed his head on Megan's shoulder. Taking a similar position she hugged him, placed one hand behind his head and the other behind his shoulder. By showing this motherly affection Jaqueris realized the main difference between her and Laura, Pixie was able to give him the warmth he needed, this combined with her naturally positive outlook on life was like therapeutic medicine to him at the moment.

Needing more of it he grabbed her hungrily in a hug of his own, in some sappy romantic movie this would normally be the part where they kissed, but he wasn't sure he even had the strength to move his lips. Besides this contact was enough for him at the moment, he just didn't want it to end.

* * *

><p>Watching them embrace from this distance Laura could smell their scents changing as the wind blew it towards her direction. There was an unfamiliar pang in her heart, it was not physical but it might as well have been with the amount of pain it brought. Gripping her chest, a notable <em>Snikt<em> sound occurred as she unsheathed her to claws.

Not wanting to feel this way any longer she turned to walk away not even meeting the eyes of Logan, and even brushed shoulders with him as she made her way past him.

"Laura!" he called but she did not stop

Normally he would have been at her side in a heartbeat, but he also had a duty to these kids. While Laura was his first priority in many matters for a rare instance Jaqueris needed someone he could sympathize with more than Laura, but he would be sure to talk to Laura right after him.

The destruction around him did not go unnoticed and he likened it to one of his own emotional outburst except with far more deadly because of the wide scale and longer lasting damage he could cause.

"_Ah-hem."_ Fake coughed Logan to gain the attention of the two teenagers in front of him

Finally noticing him both stood up with a light blush appearing across Megan's cheeks, Jaqueris was too tired at the moment to form a reaction or even fake one.

"Alright, Girly-girl, I want you to head back to the hotel. I want to talk with Jack for a minute." The Canuck informed

Reluctant to follow his orders she laced her fingers around Jaqueris' and looked up at him. He nodded to let her know that it was okay and slowly she walked away to allow the two to converse.

The two males were alone now, with a gust of wind being the only sound at the moment. Logan studied the boy extensively, he was hurt but holding it together at least as far as the feral mutant could see. The things that had been revealed had visibly unsettled him which was to be expected and he had to be mindful of how he went about this.

Rubbing the back of his head he began, "Listen, kid, I know…"

Jaqueris held his hand up to silence him so that he could speak, "Mr. Logan, if what you are about to say something like "I promise you that it's going to be alright" or "You'll grow stronger from this" then with all due respect I'd rather not hear it."

Logan was slightly staggered at his brass, but allowed him to continue, "The only thing that is on my mind as of right now is saving my brother and…and" he lowered his head as he tried to figure out how to say this

Logan approached him and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, because Jaqueris was taller by a couple of inches it would have looked awkward from someone else's point of view but neither party involved thought so.

"I know this may sound like some tired clichéd line from some old chick flick, but I can relate to you. That feeling inside, it feels like its eating away at you an all you wanna do is make it stop. I don't know if I can make it go away but I have one remedy for it." The Canadian said

Jaqueris looked at him with a puzzled expression, "What's that?"

Knowing he would not understand right off the bat Logan held up a ball fist.

_Snikt!_

Was the sound his adamantium claws produced when they protruded from the back of his hand, "Revenge."

Without question Jaqueris accepted this, getting back at the people who did this to his brother and played with his life like some videogame sounded awfully good.

* * *

><p>Maria walked with an expedited stride through the now lit hallways of the A.I.M. headquarters not really caring if she bumped into any of the multitude of people also present in the corridor; she had waited long enough for Lysander's return, only for him to not show up. She had something of the utmost importance to tell him, relating to the orders relayed to Caduceus by the Director. She felt bile rise up from her stomach at the mere thought of the man now, she knew he was messed up in the head but she did not know to this extent.<p>

Unfortunately because she could not find Lysander under her own power she would have to consult with his brother to find out his whereabouts. Hopefully, the soldiers that had been sent to find him had actually found him and not goofed off in town. She was not looking forward to talking with the man even if it was for a short amount of time.

"_Maybe, I'll get lucky and he'll want to end it quickly too." _She thought optimistically

She knew that this way of thinking was futile however, the man was perverted and unfortunately his lust had taken Maria as a target. Running her fingers through her purple hair she sighed.

She would have to put up with it soon however because she was approaching the door that led to the room he was supposedly occupying. Two new sentries stood outside, reminding her of her attempt at allowing Null a chance at freedom and his subsequently failed escape effort. She had thought she'd been discovered when Caduceus had bluntly refused to tell her the location of Null's new holding room.

The door slid open before she could get to it as Caduceus walked out as well as a soldier hauling a flamethrower. A rancid but sweet smell was pulled in by her nose and even managed to stop her in her place as she covered her nose. It came from the same room that Caduceus was leaving and she could only wonder what morally depraved activity he had been engaging in. The flame wielding guard walked past her without a word but even though his face was hidden by the lenses of his helmet she saw his eye focus on her for a minute and what appeared to be a smile.

"Ms. Gale, always the pleasure, what can I do for you?" he said noticing her for the first time

The door had closed behind him so the odor was faltering now allowing her to remove her hand, "I wanted to know if Lysander had come back, is all." She revealed

He put his hand under his chin and rubbed adopting an egotistical grin, "You know my brother is very lucky. To have a woman like you pining for his affection would make a man quite envious."

Maria gave him a perplexed stare, "Lysander and I are only colleagues. We've worked together for years." Her argument seemed less profound when some heat found its way to her cheeks and the two guards stationed behind Caduceus looked at one another

Caduceus put his hands down and crossed his arms, "In any case I have not seen Lee, but you might want to check on Null, he was asking about you. For some reason he felt you were in danger, which is really strange isn't it?"

He said the last part with a bit of a chuckle, but that didn't stop Maria from picking up the subtle threat placed in there.

"_Does he know I intentionally lowered the dose of Null's tranquilizer?"_ she thought fearfully

However she felt inside her mind, she could not let her body show any worry. If Caduceus picked up on any of it he would come to the logical conclusion that she had been the one to tamper with the chemicals in the syringe. For now it was presupposed that Null's healing factor was stronger than anticipated and he had just woken up during the surgery due to it.

In her fright Maria did not notice Caduceus eyeing her with scrutiny, his eyes twinkled for a split second filling the hazel eyed woman with trepidation, but he said nothing else that made her feel he had figured her out.

"If you're going to see him, he's in the room behind me." He said pointing with his thumb

Almost jumping at the chance to be out of his presence she walked past him silently, her heart rate beating like a drum when she was beside him. Pulling out her keycard she prepared to enter.

"By the way, it seems someone got a little to curious for their own good and went swimming through some of my computer files, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Caduceus said without turning around

She froze in place just when her card was about to enter the reader. If this question was asked to invoke a reaction from her then it had succeeded fantastically. Recovering she looked at him with as much calmness she could muster with her heart pounding again, "No, I don't"

She heard him snicker and he lowered his head from the laughter but still did not turn to look at her, which Maria counted as a blessing because she knew if he did she would be found out.

"Thank you anyway." He said

She looked at his back for a minute and pondered whether he was just toying with her for kicks, but not waiting to find out she turned back towards the door and entered much quicker this time.

When Maria walked inside he waited for a minute because he wanted to her reaction to the state of her "little brother". He was a bit disappointed when no sounds of anguish escaped from the room and he wondered if she had collapsed or not.

"Sir!" said the military-esque voice

Caduceus looked to see the familiar buzz cut of the spec ops man in front of him, "Harkness, I see you've returned from your little trip down below. Anything to report?"

The man stopped three feet away from him and placed his arms behind his back in the "royal fashion" and stood rigidly with his feet spaced apart.

"_A real military man indeed." _Thought Cad

"Sir, I witnessed a very interesting development." He said

Piquing his interest Caduceus turned his ventral front completely toward the man; he was a stone faced guy by nature so whenever he said the word "interesting" it was a cause for anyone to listen.

"What was it Captain?" he implored

"I was an eyewitness to Dascalopolis being carried, unconscious, through the hotel by two young girls presumably to one of the rooms. One of the girls had pink hair, pointed ears, and…wings. The other had lengthy black hair, green eyes, and walked like she'd been trained her entire life."

A recall was beginning to form in Caduceus' mind, the pink haired girl he described rung no bells, but the latter girl did more than that. She actually managed to bring up many images and stories he'd heard relating to her.

"_Is it possible? Why would she be here, is the Facility making a move?" _he thought

"Sir, what should we do?" asked Harkness

Contemplating this same question Caduceus was distracted by the shrill noise exploding from behind him.

_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggghhh!_

Maria's terrified screams echoed throughout the halls making Caduceus look back at the door she had went into, _"There it is finally."_ He thought smiling

Forgetting about her belayed reaction he turned back to more pressing matters and looked at the Captain, "For now nothing, I already have a feeling of who those people are and we will deal with them when the time comes, as well as anyone else that proves a problem."

He looked at the door again as he finished this last sentence and he could only imagine the mix of disgust, rage, and pity that Maria had on her face at the moment. He bet it was spectacular.

* * *

><p>Woah! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, a few things were revealed, now its getting closer for me to make the final push to end this arc only a couple of chaps left. I'm getting closer and closer to ending this entire story, but don't worry its only Part 1, Book 1 whatever you wanna call it. Please review even if its flame, this is an ongoing process and I need you guys help. Thanks in advance!<p> 


	23. Brotherhood Part 6

**Brotherhood Pt. 6**

* * *

><p>The barracks of the base was considerably less scientific and steely than the rest of the base. Every scientist in the headquarters had their own room in which they could decorate as they saw fit, but many didn't losing any creativity not associated with weapons a long time ago. There was tan carpet on the floor along with peach colored walls to add a bit of humanity to this cold establishment. Every door was red being differentiated only by the two digit numbers over the peepholes this final component made this area seem like the hotel located not to far below this base.<p>

Lysander was making his way to the room of his working partner and friend through corridors he noticed were now brightly lit adding a bit of levity to the normally gloomy base. He was looking for Maria Gale to tell her what had just happened to him. The chances of an opportunity like this happening were slim to none but it had presented itself regardless and now he fully intended to capitalize on it.

If everything went accordingly Null could be freed and they would finally be free of A.I.M.'s madness, but experience had taught him the folly in being too optimistic so he dampened his positive thinking back to natural levels. Still he had to find Maria; luckily he was coming up on her door at this very moment.

Reaching for the handle he pulled the door open, but was cut short from opening it completely when a hand slammed on the door and closed it shut with a loud clunk. Following the arm to the elbow he was able to figure out who it was by the time he arrived at the shoulder.

"Caduceus, what do you want?" asked the elder with aggravation

His little brother beamed with that teasing grin, which proved to disturb others but only irritate him, "I just wanted to check on my big brother, Lysander, is all. I mean you were gone for a while; I was starting to get worried."

It took every ounce of self control for Lysander not to roll his eyes at the man's lip service, Caduceus was not the type to worry especially not about other people, he had a narcissistic streak that ran deep, very deep. So when he said that he was "worried" he knew it was code for suspicious or some other self serving concept.

"I'm glad to know that, but as you can see I'm fine. Now if you'll excuse me." He finished reaching for the door handle again

Not to be brushed to the side Cad moved his body in front of the handle and crossed his arms, "I was just wondering Lee." He tapped his head with his index finger as he closed his eyes mimicking deep thought, "Did you meet anyone interesting on your little trip down below?"

Panic stiffened his body like a board, but he tried to hide his physical feedback as best he could. The thought of Caduceus spying on him had not crossed his mind, because he had never intended to stay in the community of Crested Butte for as long as he did his extended time there a fortunate coincidence.

Still that did not mean the repercussions from dabbling with a group of mutants would be ignored by the one in front of him. It wasn't exactly Caduceus that he was wary of however it was the people he was in contact with, this being the top tier of A.I.M. if he had a problem with someone and could provide legitimate evidence against them then they could be "removed" in the blink of an eye.

"Yeah, in fact I did, it was a band of mutants. They were recruiting so if you hurry you might be able to catch them before they leave." He revealed

Not many people could make light of his mutation and live to tell the tale. Hell, the only people that were alive that had managed to do accomplish such a feat were his kin standing before him and Null, but that was because he could not kill the boy, due to orders and his new healing factor. Despite his immunity to death by Caduceus' hands there was still the question of his whereabouts during Null's escape.

He had wanted to question his brother face to face after being informed by Harkness. He knew his brother was not above lying, just like anyone else, but just like anyone else his aptitude at it was not sufficient to fool him. Though this time Lysander had managed to do the impossible, he could not precisely tell whether his brother was telling the truth or just sending him for a loop to hide his true actions in town.

"Okay, I guess I can't force you to speak up." Sliding out of the way so that he could get to the door he gave his brother a tight smile "Tell Maria, I said "Hi"."

Lysander then opened the door and made his way inside. Caduceus let the fake smile fade from his features replaced by a dark ominous look. He had not accomplished what he set out to do and if there was one thing he could not tolerate from himself and others, it was failure.

"_No matter there are other ways to get someone to tell you the truth." _He thought maliciously

Coming through the door a feeling of sorrow swept over Lysander though it was not his own feelings that proved to be so potent. Eyeing the unrecognizable woman sitting in a chair before him holding a small glass holding a yellowish brown liquid with black mascara running down her cheeks he slowly moved towards her. He noticed a laptop open on her desk with a purple flash drive sticking out the side of the USB port.

The reason the woman was unrecognizable wasn't necessarily because of her appearance even though it was a far cry from her usual visage, but her demeanor. Generally she was a strong and confident woman, but the lady in front of him was one who had doubts about herself and had to resort to a liquid to reassure herself.

"Maria, what's the problem?" he said sitting on the edge of the red covered bed so that he could be near her

She took a sip from her alcohol filled cup and looked at him with red eyes. Her hair was unkempt and tangled like she'd been pulling at it. Her coat was thrown on the floor with casual disregard behind the chair she was sitting in. All this was uncharacteristic of Maria; because she took great pride in her appearance, like any woman, so something tragic must have happened to cause this sudden shift in personality.

"Null, tried to escape." She said putting her hand to her forehead with the dank smell of the alcohol filling in Lysander's nose

"What? When?" Lysander asked his voice filled with concern

She looked at him and Lysander could detect a bit of scorn in her gaze, "When you were taking your little vacation in town. He managed to get to the outer wall before…before…" she stopped to take another sip from her glass

Having enough of her alcohol abuse Lysander stood up and gently but also firmly took the glass from her she offered minimal resistance but glared at him as he laid the glass elsewhere. If what she had to tell him was so important he wanted her to be somewhat sober so he could get all of it.

Now that her liquid courage was gone she felt less comfortable talking about prior events but forced herself to do so, "He was shot. That bastard brother of yours ordered him to be shot in the head with a goddamn sniper rifle!" she said placing her face in her palms

Lysander straightened at the sound of this, he had missed so much in a short period of time, with this development his encounter with the mutants below meant next to nothing now. Also the fact that a young boy had been cut down made this a truly depressing event.

Rubbing his fingers across his maw he said, "Where is the body?"

Gale tilted her head and closed one eye in confusion with a light frown on her lips, he had obviously misunderstood her, "No, he isn't dead, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. His healing factor kept him alive he's in a containment room now."

The surrogate brother wondered why it wouldn't be a good thing for Null to be alive especially after trying to break out of an A.I.M. facility. The fact that he was spoke volumes to his training and how much more lucky he was than countless other prisoners who had tried to do the same but met an unfortunate end.

The only reason he could fathom why she said that was if, "Wait, what has Caduceus been doing to Null?"

Maria lifted her face from her hands and stared straight ahead with wide glistening eyes. She could feel the graphic images creeping back into her mind, all the blood and that disgusting smell that she would probably never forget in her life. His question also sparked anger in her, anger at the man who had caused it, and anger at the ones who had allowed it to be done. This last thought made her eye Lysander with a fierce look he didn't know he deserved.

"Horrible things, I can't even begin to imagine what kind of pain he's been through both physically and mentally. Specially not after what he did to him on that wall." She said this with her voice dripping in venom and hate

Not having to ask who she was referring to only, "What did he do, Gale? What did Caduceus do to Null?"

Maria pressed her hands tightly together as if in prayer and looked ahead; she turned back to Lysander as she breathed out audibly. She would have to calm herself before she told him the atrocity she had witnessed.

"He burned him! He lit him on fire like he was some candle or something, no more like garbage because I'm sure that's how he feels about him. And that smell that god awful smell, it was like pork but I knew it wasn't pork it...it I just can't describe it." she now was beginning to rant her skin was taking on the color of a tomato

"Gale, calm down!" he said standing up

The traumatized woman didn't seem to hear him as she continued on in panicky fashion her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, "All that blood, I never knew someone could bleed so much! And...oh my god Lee I could see the inside of his body, all of his muscles and organs were clear as day-but black and charred from the flames!"

By now Lysander had grabbed Gale's shoulder and pulled her into an embrace on the bed. This was not normally something he would have done, but Gale was rambling and he had acted on instinct. Her purple head rested in his chest and her rapid breathing subsided. They both said nothing for a minute and just sat in each other's company.

Lysander didn't care that the make-up was dying his white lab-coat and blue undershirt black only if Gale was okay enough for him to let go of.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" she asked looking at the door to her room

"What?" he asked

"Caduceus has been lying to everyone this entire time." she revealed

Pulling her away from his chest slowly but holding her at arms length, a new black puddle present where her head had been, "What do you mean?"

Marian rubbed her eye with one hand causing a black smudge to appear on her left hand fingers, she then used her other hand to softly remove Lysander's hands from her shoulders. Standing up she went back to the desk she had been sitting in previously and switched on the laptop.

"He was never supposed to prolong the experimentation on Null for this amount of time. In fact he had no business experimenting on him at all." she said

This news took Lysander by complete surprise, Caduceus was acting under the orders of the Director so every action he took was supposed to be cleared by the highest authority in A.I.M. To hear that he was operating outside of this authority had never crossed Lysander's mind, his brother was rebellious but not stupid.

The computer screen came to life, showing icons representing alternate functions. Maria moved the pointer to a symbol resembling a paper file folder and clicked it. The screen changed to a white box holding various saves inside of it, Maria moved to one reading "Email", opened it and allowed Lysander to read it.

"Here." she said leaning back into the chair

He leaned over her shoulder with his abs running across Gale's shoulder, the unexpected hardness and definition of his abdomen made her blush, good thing he was staring at the computer screen at the time. His eyes traveled through the letter, his shock and revulsion rising with every sentence he read aloud.

_Dear Mr. Dascolopis,_

_As you know you have been appointed the head of the renewed Project Genesis, due to your history with said project, we fill it is best that you are given full authority. You will have access to any information regarding Genesis, either past or present, as well as the personnel of your base. Regarding th__e subject involved in this undertaking, Designate: Null, if he manages to survive the placement of the Hulk's brain tissue into his body, then he is to be cleared immediately for missions. _

There was more but Lysander stopped reading right there, what Maria had said was true, Caduceus had been torturing Null for days on end for no absolute reason other than his own amusement. Reeling from the news he sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his furrowed forehead.

He'd always known his brother to be "off" but this was a complete redefinition of the term. To torture a child at a whim was beyond inhumane, it was downright evil. During this realization of his brother's true colors, he could not help but feel angry at himself. If he would have encountered the mutants sooner then perhaps all of this could have been avoided.

_"Wait a minute, Mutants!"_ he remembered

"Maria, listen I have someone who could help us with this." said Stevens standing up

Really hoping this wasn't some sick joke she looked at him with hope-filled eyes, "Who?"

"In town, there's a band of mutants, calling themselves the X-Men. They say they've come to rescue Null and you won't believe this-his brother is among them." replied Lysander

This information was stunning to Maria, she knew of Null's family and how their lives had been orchestrated by A.I.M. Karma seemed to have seen it fit to return the prodigal son to his spiritual home but she had a hunch the reunion would not be pleasant for either parties involved.

Harkness watched the screen with unbreakable focus his feet kicked up on the table, there were cameras scattered throughout every nook and cranny in the base, they all lead back here to this security room, of which the security personnel was aware of as well as a few senior scientist members of A.I.M. Despite this there were a few that they did not know exist, an example being the camera system that broadcast from every room in the base. A couple of young perverted soldiers had exploited this knowledge to spy on women when they were less than decent.

He was not such a slave to his hormones, at the age of 40 they no longer held as much sway anyway, he had a far more important use for the system. Caduceus had his suspicions about Null's escape attempt as well as his older brother and he had enlisted Harkness to run some surveillance. After what he had just heard he felt he had done a decent enough good job.

* * *

><p>There were fresh droplets of blood on the floor as well as dried counterparts, some fluid even managed to find its way in between the white tiles of the bathroom. The saccharine metallic smell of blood tickled her olfactory nerves, by now it was so familiar her nose breathed it in like air.<p>

Laura dug her claws into the soft flesh of her wrist, running it across a trickle of blood flowed out through the cut. The pain was sharp and familiar, just about the only thing that was familiar since her time in coming to the institute, it reminded her of her time as a prostitute or her time at the Facility. Flexing her fingers more blood managed to flow out before the wound closed.

She did not know why she did this only that it provide a short term reprieve from the foreign emotions she was not accustomed to, it allowed her to forget. If there was one thing she envied about Wolverine, it was that he was amnesiac, he could not recall the horrors that he had been subjected to, but she could all to clearly. She placed a claw on her arm prepared to repeat her self-mutilation.

_Bang!_

The door swung into the wall rattling the hinges holding it in place. Logan stood at the doorway with a look of anger and disappointment crossing his face. He must have picked up the scent of her blood from beyond the doorway.

His fury did not bother her it was the look of disenchantment that struck a nerve in her. The man was like an older brother to her, both literally and figuratively, to see him look at her like that, expecting better of her made his gaze worse than any beating that Kimura could have delivered.

Sheathing her claws she stared at him with sorrow filled orbs, words proving useless to her in this instance even more so than they normally did.

"Alright, it's time we talked." Logan said

* * *

><p>Jaqueris caught a snowflake in his hand, the frozen water melted on contact sending a small sensation throughout the middle of his palm. Had he been in Colorado on vacation this would have been a very welcoming and calming sight, the white weightless flakes making a snail-like descent to the ground below clumping together to create a pallid blanket.<p>

Vacation was far from his mind however, he was here for family more specifically his little brother. Thinking of his brother the exact nature of their relationship came to mind as well as its future. Even if-when they rescued him, how would he react? Would he be grateful or unappreciative? The most important question however, to Jaqueris anyway, was whether he would opt to return to the Institute or not?

There was a chance that he could live with Keenan in the Bronx, but in all honesty he wanted his brother close by. Besides he didn't like to think how he would react from seeing his 11-year old cousin in a 16-year old body. He managed to chuckle as he imagined the responses his cousin could muster.

He was interrupted from his musings when the door closing behind him signaled that someone else was coming on the balcony. Turning around, prepared to leave if it was someone he was unfamiliar with, he was a little stunned to see Danielle joining him on the terrace.

She was wearing a black jacket without a hood that was zipped up with tan pants and her characteristic braid cropped over her shoulder. Ever since she had recruited him the two had not been exactly close and he viewed him only as a teacher and he assumed she saw him as her student and nothing more.

"How are you holding up?" she asked with her hands in her coat pocket

Jaqueris had been expecting this, it would have been too much to ask to have only one person to check up on his mental condition after his abrupt departure from the hotel room.

He turned to her with his elbows pressed atop the wooden railing, "I haven't slit my wrists yet, if that's what you're asking."

"I hope not it would be helluva a lot of trouble to get rid of the body." she joked moving to a position beside him and staring ahead

Jaqueris snickered at her jest, her fake dis-concern proving to be amusing for some reason probably because he knew that despite their lack of an actual relationship he could tell she cared. Mind you this care was not inappropriate in the least but more akin to a counselor comforting a student of his, but Dani was doing it without the pay.

"That man, Lysander, he agreed to help us infiltrate A.I.M.'s base." she revealed

Jaqueris turned to her fully with saucer eyeballs and fought from grabbing her shoulders and shaking her to see if she was telling the truth, which he thought was a good idea on his part, something told him that doing such a thing would leave him bruised and battered.

"Really? When, where, why and how come..." he said at breakneck speeds

Holding up her hand calmly she said, "Relax, he agreed to it after you ran off. He was awfully receptive to the idea, I have a feeling that he knows your brother...personally."

When she said this Jaqueris' mood returned to the somber persona he had briefly exterminated and he crossed his arms as he turned in the same direction as Dani.

"That doesn't change the fact that he works for **them**, he's one of the people that made me and Null the way we are now." he said his misgivings shining through

Dani leaned her head forward to get a good look at his stone face as well as to force him to look her in the eye, "And what might that be, mutants?"

Jaqueris knew what she was implying, that he was ashamed of his mutation and regretted her finding him. While he admitted that his powers had brought him plenty of grief he could not in good conscience say he was embarrassed by them, but for that same reason he couldn't say that he was appreciative of them either.

"That's not what I meant. They played with our lives like a couple of marionettes, what makes you think he won't lead us into a trap?" he expressed

Dani returned to looking ahead, she had to admit the chances of a betrayal by an A.I.M. scientist was very likely, but still...

"We don't, but he's offering us a way inside and at the moment we don't have any alternatives. So unless you've found a secret passage we can exploit then we're going to have to trust him." she said logically

Jaqueris frowned up at her arguement but knew it was true, they would have to suspend their better judgement if they wanted to get to his brother and frankly if it led to his freedom then he didn't care, but that doesn't mean he had to like it.

The two said nothing for an instant as the snowflakes fell on their shoulders and hair, Jaqueris wiped his now hairy head of some water. A light breeze picked up sending a chill down Jaqueris' spine making him shudder. Noticing his response to the cold she began to say something.

"You know, I grew up in Colorado, I was a part of the Cheyenne Nation and lived with my parents until my powers manifested." she revealed

Curious with this story he turned to her, "What happened?"

Her face darkened at his question, but because she had moved the conversation in this direction she was obliged to finish it no matter how discomforting it was to do so, "The first time was real scary, I saw a hallucination of my parent's dying represented by a horse and an eagle."

Not understanding what animals had to do with her parents Jaqueris was prepared to ask but Dani answered without his asking, "My dad was from the eagle clan and my mom was from the horse clan. After that I went to live with some neighbors, but I couldn't control my powers then and I made the entire community see things."

Jaqueris was not an expert on mutant racism but with the style that Dani was telling this story he could deduce where the direction it was heading in.

"It was horrible, the cold stares, the subtle words of hate directed at me, the threats and racial slurs, but the worst were the whispers. It hurts a little more when you know people are talking about you but you can't exactly make out what they're saying. Leaves it up to the imagination, you know?"

Jaqueris was fortunate enough to not have been the victim of heavy mutant racism, but he had never counted it as a blessing due to ignorance, he now realized how much of a smuck he was for now delving into the struggles of his own kind. He picked up the parallel between mutants and African Americans and while he was informed on the latter half of his race he was almost clueless on the former, he would have to change that.

"What happened after that?" he asked wanting to absorb more of her tale

Sensing his interest she continued, "Not too long after that my parents disappeared into the mountains." Jaqueris caught her bite the corner of her lip "They were going on a camping trip, but...they never came back."

The sadness she had been holding back was now breaking through a bit as her eyes and the corners of her mouth lowered. Jaqueris had a hunch that there was more to her story.

"Then, later I moved in with my grandfather, Black Eagle, and there I fully realized how racism can truly corrupt a man."

Jaqueris leaned in subconsciously wanting to not miss any detail of this engrossing chronicle of his teacher's earlier life.

"That man who attacked us in New York, the cyborg Donald Pierce, he sent some of his goons after me and killed my grandfather."

A sigh escaped her lips as which she used to signify that she had finished her story, but Jaqueris still wanted to hear more but Danielle's words killed that hope by saying, "The rest they say is history. But the point I was trying to make, Jaqueris, is that I know what it feels like to lose someone precious to you. I know how badly you want to get your brother back, you want it so bad that it hurts." she said this holding a balled fist over her chest which made Jaqeuris believe she really did understand

"But, we've been doing this for a while now, so you have to trust me when I say..."

_Crack! S_he was cut off when Jaqueris' body was pulled so violently forward that he smashed through the wooden rail on the balcony with a. She watched in alarm as he continued to be pulled at a rapid pace by an invisible force.

He was moving so fast that he became a black dot in a matter of seconds, "Jaqueris!" she cried after him knowing it would do no good, thinking fast she jumped to the ground below and gave chase.

Jaqueris flew through the air with unparalleled speed but it was not under his own power, something else was pulling him, it felt like a giant unseen hand had grabbed his body and was carrying him to where it wanted to go. He remembered Dani's shocked expression when he jettisoned from beside her, and the increasing distance between him and the town.

The trees, sky, and the buildings in town passed him in an unrecognizable blur as he flew above it all. Just when he thought he was going to end up on the other side of the world he felt his body lower as he neared the ground. He back was the first thing to hit followed by the back of his head billowing into the snowy surface. Even though the snow was covering the ground his landing was anything but pleasant as the pain in his rear and hip proved.

_"Aaahh! _Damn that hurts!" he said rolling over on his stomach

Upon accomplishing this a tinge of pain ran up the side of his body radiating from his side, he may have fractured something.

"You should work on your control, it could save your life one day." said a voice that was filled with hubris but sounding strangely familiar

Unable to stand up he had to settle for lifting his head up as far as possible to try and look at who was talking. Sitting on a rock was the man who had been staring at Jaqueris at the Institute the night they found Surge. He was still wearing that cocoa colored jacket, but the sleeve on the right arm was gone showing his black skin. He had one of his finger less gloved hands under his chin while the other was on his knee.

That secretive scarf stopped him from seeing the lower half of his face, but he could still make out his brown eyes. He studied Jaqueris like a science experiment as he began to tap his finger on his kneecap.

Gathering himself Jaqueris managed to ask, "Who are you? And how did you get from New York to Colorado, are you following me?"

He stood up from his stone seat and walked towards Jaqueris, "You are about to go through a very traumatic experience and I wanted to see if you are ready." he stopped beside Jaqueris and got on one knee "Unfortunately, I am disappointed."

He raised his hand and held up his index and middle finger, Jaqueris wanted to send out a repulse wave to get him away, but found his powers unresponsive at the time.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?" _thought Jaqueris

The man placed his fingers on Jaqueris' temple and at that something extraordinary happened. A digging and intrusive feeling barreled into his mind as descriptive images flashed in rapid succession. If the rumor about your life flashing before your eyes was true to any extent then Jaqueris guessed it would happen in a fashion similar to this.

He was looking at the images in his minds eye, but it felt more like he was actually experiencing them. He heard the terrified screams of people, millions of people as they dodged debris, speeding cars, and other forms of general pandemonium. Massive buildings collapsed like a deck of cards and crashed into the ground crushing anything caught beneath it unfortunately that happened to be human beings.

A bright light erupted in this vision, and all consuming light that burned out the image of everything in sight. He could feel the intense heat generated by the light show, it was blistering 100x worse than any sunny day and perhaps even the sun itself.

And then there was nothing, only blackness and the feeling of despair washing over him. The next thing he heard was...crying, a weeping filled with grief and sorrow it was a girl...and he knew her. For some reason, that was alien to him, he felt that this crying, these woeful tears...were entirely his fault.

The man lifted his fingers from the head of Jaqueris as he fell into unconsciousness. Standing over him he inspected the boy with a deep understanding. It still amazed him that so much power was held inside such a small and unsuspecting body. He hoped his little show would inspire him to learn how to control it, or the consequences could be dire-for everyone.

Walking away he could sense Danielle fast approaching coming in from the same direction he was headed, but he kept going. She stopped in her tracks when she finally arrived and eyed Jaqueris' unmoving form, the man still walking towards her, completely mindful of her illusion based powers.

Dani ran in his direction, kicking up patches of snow as her feet plodded on the ground, he strolled at a controlled pace like there wasn't a trained mutant running towards him. Once Dani was two feet from him, her face filled with fortitude...she ran past him.

The mystery man continued walking at his own tempo completely calm because he knew that she had never seen him there, he was a ghost to her and anyone else he desired. She would heal the boy and he could start on his mission to save his younger brother just as planned.

* * *

><p>Laura followed Logan closely behind they were surrounded by tall pine trees and white snow just as a forest was supposed to be, he had not revealed the exact location they were headed in, but then again Laura had not asked, this would have to change.<p>

"Where are we going?" she said

Logan stopped and Laura saw the misty smoke from his nose rise above his head. He looked around and for a minute Laura wondered if he had picked up a scent she had missed but dismissed it as unlikely given the similar levels of their senses. He removed his brown jacket showing off his muscular physique and gray beater and dropped it to the ground as he said, "Alright, this is good."

Taking of his russet cowboy hat and throwing it masterfully atop a stone he stood in place with balled fists. What came next Laura was not expecting, but her inbred training was so instinctive that she dodged the spinning back fist Logan sent at her head.

Counterattacking she performed a sweeping kick that knocked him to the ground, when his grunt sounded off she was already back flipping to give herself space.

"What are you doing?" she interrogated

Logan picked himself off the ground and held his fists in the air when he lowered them his claws had unsheathed, "What I do best!" he replied

Running at her Laura unsheathed her own hand claws prepared to defend herself. She had faced Logan in combat before but back then he was not trying to harm her only disable, but she did not know his intentions at the moment. Whatever his reasons she felt confident she could hold him off long enough to discern why he was attacking her.

He sent a right claw cross at her face, bringing up her left hand she caught the three blades between her two, then using his momentum twisted his arm downward. He bent forward now at her mercy, she kicked him in the face with her right leg and then squeezed in another with her left foot.

He staggered backwards from the force and shook his head free of any lingering stars. Charging her again with his claws to his side he yelled, _"Raaaaggghhhh!"_

Not fooled by his bestial yell she readied herself. He ran his claws across the ground, making three separated lines in the dirt, he brought them up high in the air kicking up a face full of snow that went into Laura's face. The snow did not sting, but the dirt mixed in with it did which blocked the vision in both her eyes preventing her from seeing him.

Blindness was no excuse to be injured however as her sensei once told her, so she dodged a straight claw jab aimed at her mid section. Her reaction was little slowed however and she now had three bleeding claw marks on her stomach to show for it.

Rubbing the dirt from her eye so that she could recover from the ocular irritation she heard Logan shout again, "You want to bleed? Then I can show you a far better way to do it than by cutting yourself."

As if on cue the wounds healed leaving only the torn shirt in place, her eyes recuperated fast enough for her to see Logan send another left claw her way. Knocking it away with her own right claws, she cut him across the nose with a left swipe, causing blood to spray in the air and land on the white ground below.

Logan kept coming however and sent a right claw hook which she ducked under. Seeing that he was now vulnerable she sent her foot towards his stomach.

_Snikt!_

Was the sound her foot claw made as it ejected allowing her to drive it into his gut. Wolverine stopped his pursuit for a minute allowing her to drag her claw through his stomach and out his side. Blood fell to the floor in abundance and it was a wonder why none of his organs followed suite.

Now back in action Logan brought both of his arms in the air and aimed them downwards towards Laura's body. She rolled backwards to avoid being pinned to the ground as Logan's claws embedded themselves in the hard dirt.

She looked at him for a second as he fell to one knee holding his stomach as blood trickled out, "I want to know why?" he said without looking up

Confused she said, "Why what?"

_"Nngggh!_" he grunted before looking her in the eye the cuts on his face beginning to close "Why were you cutting yourself in the bathroom over some boy?"

Now many people would say that Laura was a calm girl, almost supernaturally so, never getting rattled by anything. Until Logan just blurted out that last sentence, filling with unbridled fury she unsheathed her foot claws and bounded towards her brother.

_"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"_ she screamed jumping into the air

Logan smiled to himself when he saw an extremely rare moment when she left herself open to a counterattack, she may have been a trained assassin since birth, but she still was a kid and a teenage girl at that meaning she was still subject to her emotions. Rising up he drove his shoulder into her stomach, knocking the wind from her body.

_"Oooooofffff!" _she groaned as her back hit the ground making a noticeable imprint of her body

Now wanting to fight even more so than Logan, she tried to rise up but was pinned to ground when Wolverine jumped on top of her and drove his two outside claws into the ground outside her wrists. He pressed down until his knuckle a few inches above her wrist. Slowly he unsheathed his middle claw enough that it touched her skin, she could feel the lifeless metal touching against her throbbing artery.

"Now you're gonna sit there and tell me what your problem is!" ordered Logan

At that moment she realized what this was, Wolverine had not gone insane and decided to kill her, he was doing something her mother was unable to properly accomplish in the Facility, and that was to be a parent. He had never had the warming embrace of a mother or at least could not remember it, so he did the only thing he knew how to reach her, something they both could mutually understand and that was to fight. In his own unique way this was Logan's way of having a sit down to talk with his family.

Looking into his eyes she tried to convey that she understood which was probably accomplished with her teary eyes, "I do not know!" she admitted

Seeing that she had finally gotten it he pulled his claws back into his fists and stood up, extending his hand to her he pulled her to her feet. He had never seen Laura cry figuring the Facility had taught her to never show inner turmoil, he was glad he was wrong. It wouldn't do to have her bottling her emotions up like a champagne bottle or else it would show in very ugly ways, cutting being one of them.

Placing his hand on Laura's shoulder he said, "Listen, Laura, ain't a person on this planet worth you hurting yourself, okay? This is one a' those things you're new too and I know it's tough, but don't you ever let me catch you cutting just because some snot nosed kid didn't pick you, it's his damn loss!"

Laura didn't know if she liked how he was referring to Jaqueris, but she nodded anyway as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Biting his bottom lip Logan patted her softly, "Come on, let's get back."

* * *

><p>Jaqueris was sitting on the bed in the room that Dani shared with Megan and Laura, with his back against the headboards. He was in a rather compromising position at the moment as Josh had both hands placed on his hip as he healed the bone since Josh couldn't heal through clothing he had lifted up his shirt so that he could mend his side. There was a purplish bruise where he had fallen and which Josh was currently healing.<p>

He snapped his head to the side when he heard Megan giggle at the sight of this, "Shut up." he said

Megan ceased her chuckles long enough to say, "I'm sorry, its just so weird to see Josh touching you like that, if I didn't know any better I'd say..."

"Don't say it." chimed in Josh

Megan closed her mouth as another smile formed on her face, she looked at the ceiling to prevent herself from spilling on the floor laughing.

Dani gave Jaqueris a once over, "How long more will it take Josh?" she asked

Lifting his hands from Jaqueris skin all too happily he said, "Done, what I want to know is why didn't you heal it yourself unless Megan's insinuation was right after all and you just wanted me to touch you?" he teased

Giving him a sour look Jaqueris lowered his shirt, "I can't heal fractures, not even hair line ones. Just be happy I let you do it, you get to see how a real man's body should look." he said poking his soft sides

Retreating from the mocking touch he held his side with his hand, "I'm not Victor, so you're gonna have to go somewhere else with that."

Puzzled by this Jaqueris said, "What do you mean, you're not Victor?"

The room went silent as everyone stared at Jaqueris like he had just asked if the sun was yellow or not. Looking from Dani, to Josh and finally Megan he got the feeling that he was missing out on something that everyone else knew.

"What?" he said holding his hands in the air

Josh looked at Dani who looked away and was rubbing the back of her head, while Megan stared up at the ceiling again while pursing her lips. These actions coupled with what Josh said made him feel like a real ass.

"You mean you don't know and he's your roommate? Ah man are you clueless." said Foley

Jaqueris gave him a look telling him that he was still at a loss for what the three were talking about. Not wanting to reveal the boy's sexual orientation without his consent Dani changed the topic, "Jaqueris, what happened out there? Why did you fly off like that?"

Standing from the bed, grateful that the pain in his side and back were gone, he said "I told you it wasn't me. Some guy in a brown hoodie with a scarf covering his face pulled me out there, he was black and about 2 inches taller than me. He said he wanted to see if I was ready."

Putting her head under her chin in thought she tried to remember if this description matched any enemies of the X-men. No one in particular came to mind so she wondered if he was an agent of A.I.M. and if so does that mean they knew their location?

The door opened behind Megan as Logan and Laura walked inside, closing it, everyone noticed that they were wearing tattered clothing with smudges of dirt on their pants and jackets.

"What happened to you two?" asked Pixie

They walked past her into the middle of the room, "Family matters." said Logan

Having no choice but to accept his vague answer Megan turned her head when a knock came from the door, "What now?" she said going to answer it

Opening the door she was greeted with the sight of an attractive purple haired woman with hazel eyes and fair skin. She was wearing a dark trench coat to protect her from the cold.

No one in the room recognized the woman so they just stared until she said, "Hello, my name is Maria Gale, Lysander sent me."

* * *

><p>The elder Dascalopolis was fast walking towards his brother's location. He knew he would be in the science lab now and he wanted to have a private chat with him. Having left the barracks of the base he was back in the machine like portion that was the science section, but he saw that the lights were still shining brightly.<p>

Closing in on the door that would lead into the chem lab he readied his card, he was about to slide it into the reader when the door slid open by itself. On the other side of the door was the man known as Harkness, a Captain of the security force assigned to protect the base. His dark uniform military styled uniform matched his detached and orderly personality.

"Harkness." said Lysander

"Stevens." he replied before walking away

Their interactions with one another were limited to just that as always. Walking into the door he saw his brother standing and staring at the door as if he was waiting for something. His face was unusually dark lacking that facetious smirk he was known for.

"Cad, we need to talk." said Lysander

His brother nodded his head and balled his mouth, "Yes, we do, don't we?" he then placed his hand on Lysander's shoulder and afflicted him with a bout of hypothermia. His body collapsed to the floor as he began to shiver uncontrollably.

Caduceus crouched beside him and said, "I'm sorry it had to come to this brother. I'd rather not have to resort to such tactics, but you've betrayed the organization and thus me. So it's no longer in my hands."

* * *

><p>The kids were outside the Blackbird standing in the snow with bored expressions on their faces. All of them were wearing their respective coats; Pixie had on a yellow one with pink mittens, while he and Laura wore dark colored coats with similar gloves, and Josh had on a red hoodie with black mittens. They had relocated to the jet when Maria had proposed they move to a more secure location to talk. Jaqueris was a little peeved at being ordered by Logan to stay outside while the adults talked and he stared at the jet with contempt with his back to the others.<p>

He wanted to lift the jet a reasonable distance into the air and then drop it to the ground to get back at being left out of the loop, but maturity and lack of faith in his abilities made him do otherwise.

"Man, this sucks, if we're supposed to be X-men how come we aren't in on the big plan?" asked Josh in frustration

"We are not X-men." Laura pointed out without a hint of emotion behind it

This earned her a glare from the boy he turned to Jaqueris expecting help. However he was disappointed when the boy turned around and said, "She's right though X-babies would be more appropriate."

Josh's mouth was agape at his response, of all people he expected Jaqueris to be on his side, especially since this whole operation was to save his brother. Closing his jaw he accepted defeat and muttered, "What are we doing here then?"

Jaqueris turned his head away from him, he didn't actually know the answer to this question himself, besides his will to get his brother back he would not have come, but it seemed like he would not be able to actively participate in his rescue.

Silence hit again as the teens questioned their worthiness to the cause until Megan jumped up suddenly making Josh flinch.

"I have an idea!" she said hapilly

Jaqueris and Laura gave her puzzled looks as they tried to figure out what the bubbly girl meant. They all watched her while she walked past them, stopped a few feet and then bent over. Jaqueris sent a glare at Josh when he caught him staring and was greeted with a guilty smile from the boy. But what could he say he was looking to.

Paying attention to Foley made Jaqueris oblivious to the object nearing his face, until the white slushy substance smacked him in the side of the face. It was already melting as it slid down his neck and a little into his shirt making him shiver from the cold.

He turned to the person who had thrown it who was clapping jovially and smiling mischievously. Ready to retaliate before another projectile struck him on the other side of his face. He switched back to the initial object of his stare.

Josh gave him an innocent look and said, "What?" holding up his hands to try and prove he had no part in this

Tired of being used as target practice, Jaqueris created his own snowball and threw it, it hit Josh right in the face. Wanting to continue his assault Jaqueris rushed towards Josh while picking up snow from the ground.

Megan laughed at what she had done, no reason to be so sober while the adults went over boring plans, packing more snow into her hands she was about to send it Laura's way until she saw her face. It was one of blank confusion, she was still wary of the girl's relationship with Jaqueris, but seeing her look that way while everyone else was having fun made her forget that.

"Hey, Laura, what are you doing?" she asked

Acknowledging her by giving her that same vacant expression but looking at her she said, "I am trying to discern why Jaqueris and Josh are attacking one another with frozen water. Would it not be more productive to use their fists or powers?"

Megan looked at the two boys as Jaqueris hit Josh on the shoulder with another snowball. She wondered if Laura was seeing something she couldn't until realization dawned on her.

"Wait, you've never had a snowball fight before, have you Laura?" she inquired

Lowering her head Laura felt a bit embarrassed that she was never able to engage in something that she assumed was customary of "normal" children. "No, the Facility did not permit me to fight with snow." she said looking at the area where her claws would protrude from

Having her answer Megan lowered to the ground and scooped up some snow. Holding it in front of Laura's face she packed and pressed the snow until it was condensed it a circular ball.

"This is how you make a snowball." she informed her

Still not understanding what she was supposed to be doing Laura just stared at the cold orb. Megan then took her hand and placed the ball into them, "Now you pick your target and try to hit them with it."

Laura looked at up at the males in front of her. Jaqueris dodged one snowball aimed at his chest, but wasn't so lucky with the second that hit him in the private area. A wet spot formed that made it seem like he had lost control of his urinary muscles. Josh found this funny for some reason and began to laugh and point.

"Very mature, Foley." said Jaqueris

"Hahahahahahaha...man you can never beat the classics." he said wiping a tear from his eye

_"Omph!"_

He said as he was further disturbed from his laughter when a snowy bomb struck his temple making him fall over. Jaqueris looked to see who threw it, but was only met with another attack to his nose that covered his nose in snow. He wiped enough away to see that he was about to be set upon by both Laura and Megan.

Wolverine and Mirage were sitting in the pilots and co-pilots seat respectively, the chairs were turned around to a round silver table that would be used for the planning. Maria was seated in a passenger seat that had been moved to the other side of the table by rotators in the floor.

"Shall we begin?" she asked rhetorically

With that she went inside her pocket to receive a rectangular device the size of a playing card, it had circuitry running through, front and back, meeting at a blue lenses. Pressing a button on the side she placed it on the table as it hummed to life.

A blue 3D hologram sprung to life in the air showing the A.I.M. base in its entirety. Not only was the top portion shown but the sub-levels that Logan had expected it to have also appeared before them.

"A.I.M. always did have the best toys." he said

"Indeed." said Maria in a business-like tone

Suddenly a yellow blip appeared on the hologram located somewhere inside the base. The image began to rotate as Maria began to speak, "This is where Ja'Keyon is being kept, in a containment area on the western side of the base. There are no windows or ventilation shafts leading into the room, the only way in or out is through a door that is guarded by two sentries at all times."

"So, we know where he is, but how are we supposed to get inside to spring him loose?" asked Danielle

Maria turned to her with a feisty stare and said, "I was getting to that." she said this with more spite than she intended earning her a half scowl from the Native American and a smirk from Logan.

Before either could say anything she placed her fingers on her forehead and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired. You have no idea the things they are doing to him in there while I'm just forced to watch." Under the table her fists clenched together tightly

Forgetting her momentary displeasure with the lady Danielle let her gather herself when she saw that she was in fact very concerned for the well being of this boy.

Maria moved her hands and after sighing returned to the hologram, "There is an old mine located outside of town. The locals were told it was closed because of instability, but the real purpose was because it lead directly under and into the base. You're going to use that to get inside..."

Their discussion was interrupted when the sound of laughter made its way inside the cockpit of the Blackbird. Standing up Logan made his way to the glass at the front of the plane and looked outside. What he saw was a shock to him, the kids were goofing off by having a snowball fight. He would expect this from Jack, Foley, and Girly-Girl, but not the fourth one.

It was Laura and she was doing something he rarely saw her do, which was smile. She threw a hard ball at the back of Jaqueris' head hitting him dead on, she and Megan seemed to be teamed together against the two males and were winning.

"Well, I'll be damned. Guess those three squirts are good for something after all." he said to himself

* * *

><p>OMG! I didn't expect this chapter to be so friggin long, now I feel I'm gonna have to outdo myself in the next chap. Sorry if it seemed like I dragged this out, blame my attention to detail, but I wanted to give a proper setup before the Assault on A.I.M. Also can anybody guess who that mystery man is and what he wants? Post your guesses in the review sections and we'll see who comes the closest.<p> 


	24. Brotherhood Conclusion Part 1

**Brotherhood Conclusion Pt. 1**

* * *

><p>A sound of misery escaped Null's throat as he hung limply from the wall. His body was still in great pain; mind you not as excruciating as when he was used as a substitute for a candle, but still very painful. He wondered how long he'd been up here, it seemed like an eternity, after all the torture he'd been put through time seemed irrelevant to him at this point and all he wanted was for it to end.<p>

"_No, I can't think like that! I still have to pay that bastard Caduceus back, I can't die before then!" _he thought encouragingly

The fluorescent light above his head stopped him from falling asleep; the bright ambience stung his eyes as well as his skin for some odd reason. His strength had been sapped the longer he was under this glow which perhaps revealed why his healing was taking so long. On the outside his skin had cast away the charred and bloody wears to give way to his more familiar light brown skin tone, but on the inside he could tell it was different.

Looking down he spotted the blobs of dried blood on the floor which was turning a crusty brown color now.

His organs and muscles had healed yes, but not completely, he could feel the pain throbbing in certain areas as his healing factor was slow to compensate. The flames must have done more extensive damage than he had accounted for because he was forced to stay conscious as it were. It was not only the pain that kept him awake, but also the fear of being spurred awake by one of Caduceus' sick procedures.

Luckily or unluckily, the man had not visited him since he ordered Null to be set on fire. This either meant the man got bored and was going to leave him to rot or he had been finally ordered to stop and was just torturing him further by ignoring him. Either way it didn't change the fact that he'd been alone for more than a couple of hours and that was beginning to bother him.

He could barely hear outside this makeshift cell, only the loudest of sounds managed to get to his ear, but now he heard nothing. Silence hung in the air like a dark cloud, normally he welcomed silence, but not when he was in the middle of super-high tech base.

"_The calm before the storm, maybe?"_ he thought morbidly

Whatever or whoever was causing the silence he hoped they would hurry up and do whatever is was they were doing because if there was one thing he hated more than Caduceus right now…it was waiting.

* * *

><p>Wolverine entered his room with a sandy tan short sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and light brown boots holding a beer of course. He found Dani sitting at a table looking out the window transfixed.<p>

"If you're here to get one last go around before we break into A.I.M.'s then…" Logan started smugly

He stopped when Dani shot him a cross glare and said, "Don't flatter yourself, Wolvie, I like my men a bit…taller."

If Logan's ego was about the size of say, that Keller kid, then it would probably be bruised right about now. As it were however it wasn't that large so he just responded with a shrug of his shoulders and a "Whatever" before joining her at the table.

"Where's the lady?" he asked

Looking back out of the window she said, "She said something about trying to contact her partner again. I told her it wouldn't be wise to head back to the base, having to rescue two hostages is a bit more trouble than just one."

Logan half nodded as he took another sip of his beer and joined Dani in her gaze outside. The sun tickled his cornea with its rays, blinking he dispelled the sensation and ran a hand down his face.

"I'm scared for them, Logan." Said Dani suddenly

Turning to her he said with assurance, "You should be, the chances of this running smoothly are next to zilch." He downed a little more of the alcohol and shook his head from the small buzz he got making him resemble a shaggy canine for a moment.

This time Dani cast her gaze on him with disappointment, "Thanks for the reassurance, Wolverine, I feel much better now."

Logan turned fully towards her this time and moved his beer bottle out of the way so that there were no barriers between them, "What do you want me to say, that we're gonna drop inside, pick up the kid, and leave without any bloodstains. Sorry, Moonstar, but if you want sugarcoating you're gonna have to talk to Charles."

Dani begrudgingly accepted his reply, she didn't even harbor delusions that this operation would end in a favorable way, but she still hoped no one was killed. These children were young, and at the risk of sounding cliché, they had their whole lives ahead of them and to die in a place like that would be a weight on her soul she did not want to bear.

"Why can't we leave them behind, just you and me go inside?" she asked hopefully

Logan did not look at her and just wrapped his arms around his chest showing he was not changing his mind, "You know the plan and contingency plan. We're gonna need those four if we want to keep the casualties to the bare minimum."

Scoffing at his answer Dani raised herself grumpily from the chair and began to walk towards the door with her hand so her hips, "If we lose those kids, Logan, then…"

"That won't happen." He said as if it were a fact

Dani turned back to him confusion apparent on her face, "You just said…" she began to argue

"I meant for those eggheads in A.I.M. As for those kids, nothing is going to happen to them, I stake my life on it." He said putting the bottle to his mouth once more

At that moment Logan seemed to have garnered a bit more respect from the Native American. She would be lying if she said she never looked at him and thought "savage", but now she caught a glimpse of his inner workings. He really did care for those children but because of the life he led he could not show it in conventional ways only in practices that made since to him.

"Well, that makes me feel…better actually." She said crossing her own arms

* * *

><p>Maria was in the lobby of the hotel pacing vigorously, one hand was holding up her elbow as she held a cellphone to her other ear. After three consecutive tries all she had gotten was a continuous ringing and the following computerized voice telling her to leave a message.<p>

Hanging up before sliding the phone up to make another attempt, "Come on Lee, pick up."

The phone rang again before that irritating voice mail message talked into her ear causing her to hang up with a groan. Why wasn't Lysander picking up his phone? She had to warn him to leave the base before the X-Men started their assault to prevent him from being caught in the crossfire. It wasn't that she didn't trust the mutants, but anything could happen especially with an organization as callous as A.I.M.

She opened her phone and tried again, hoping it was just a bad connection or something.

* * *

><p>Megan was walking on a snowy trail, away from the hotel, in the company of Jaqueris. She had suggested such a venture so that he could clear his head, but it seemed to have the opposite effect as he had said nothing the entire time they were gone.<p>

She knew that he was probably focused on their rescue attempt later on today, but she still wanted him to talk. His voice always managed to make her smile even if he wasn't making a joke or teasing her and it was weird to see him with such a solemn expression and not smiling like he normally did.

"Megan, I don't want you to go tonight." Said Jaqueris

This statement was enough to make her stop in place and give him a look of bewilderment.

"What, but you know the plan don't you?" she flew in front of him to get a good look at his grave face "I can't just sit on my butt while you guys risk your lives."

Jaqueris put his mouth in a straight line as he began to speak, "Yes, you can! Do you understand what we're getting into, these guys will kill you without a second thought!"

Megan flew back a little from his harsh tone, something she had never attributed to him before now. She was so shocked by it in fact it took her a minute before she was able to recover.

"Give her a little more credit, Jaqueris." Said Josh's voice from behind them

Jaqueris turned to find the so called golden boy, smiling exuberantly, walking with Laura, and her hands in her coat pocket.

"We've got two X-men going in with us, we'll be fine, right Laura?" he asked looking for support

The three turned to the silent girl for her take on this situation, she was not used to being asked her opinion on topics, most of the time she just observed. However their stares showed that they were waiting for her to say something, "The chances of our success are not excessively high."

Megan's and Josh's faces contorted to look like they had a stomach aches while Jaqueris seemed to accept Laura's observation until she said, "Though not extremely low, either, there is equal chance we will succeed."

This had the opposite effect as the other two brightened up while Jaqueris frowned. He covered his chest with his arms and looked at the three. They said that they understood, but did they really?

"Look, he's my brother; if Wolverine and Mirage weren't X-men I wouldn't want them to come either. There's no reason for you guys to risk anything for someone you don't know." He argued

For a moment no one said anything and Jaqueris thought his logic had gotten through to them until Megan spoke up.

"What kind of friends would we be then if we just let you go without us?" she said

"I gotta agree with Megan, we're not sitting this one out so I guess you're stuck with us." Josh said throwing his arm around Jaqueris' neck and smiling

Jaqueris scowled at the boy's contact but caught a glimpse of Megan's smiling face. Looking at her he turned to Laura who still had on her controlled face. He supposed that was it, he could not force them to stay. Come to think of it he actually could, but that would drain energy, energy he would need to free his brother.

"Fine, your lives." He said begrudgingly

Josh laughed and so did Megan while Jaqueris had a foreboding look on his face and Laura did not respond. She had the same mindset as Jaqueris in that she did not understand why Josh and Megan would risk their lives for someone they were not familiar with.

She could process Danielle and Logan because they were teachers and were obligated to assist mutants in danger whenever they could, Jaqueris was doing it because of his blood relation to the boy, and she was here because her presence had been requested by Logan as well as her skills.

But the other teenager's motives were lost to her; perhaps it had something to do with this concept called friendship. Jaqueris had used the term "friends" before and Megan had done the same moments ago, but no matter how many times she heard this Laura still did not understand the meaning behind it.

"We should swear on it?" said Megan suddenly and with high volume

The two boys looked at her with Jaqueris removing Josh's arm from around his neck, "What do you mean?" asked Jaqueris

Megan looked at them like they were some far off space aliens and poked out her bottom lip, "You know like a pinkie swear, to make sure we all come back."

Josh and Jaqueris looked at one another knowing no other way to react to the girl's naiveté. As if such a small gesture would better their chances once they were inside a heavily guarded establishment with expertly trained men who would probably shoot first and ask questions never.

Ignoring the obvious flaws in her suggestion Megan took Jaqueris' hand and laced her pinkie over the top of his own. Seeing as he was trapped he looked to Josh who gave a deep scoff and roll of the eyes before saying, "Fine."

He poked out his little finger and connected it to Jaqueris' finger which was turned upwards, when he did so Jaqueris gave him a look that promised death to him if he told anyone about this.

The three looked at the last person to submit to their childish display of promise keeping.

"Come on, Laura, you're a part of this too." Urged Megan

Laura looked at their interlocking fingers which meaning perplexed her, she chalked it up to yet another example of upbringing to she was forced to miss out on.

"Connecting the four of our smaller phalanges together will not have an effect on the outcome of our mission." Voicing what the two boys and they hoped Megan already knew

"Just come on Laura." Begged Megan

The two boys eyes shifted with each reply the two gave one another.

"There is no point." She countered

"Just do it." Megan argued

"No." she answered bluntly

"For me?" Megan said smiling

Laura stared at her absently before saying, "That does not make me want to do so any more than the first time you asked."

Not minding the contact with Megan but growing impatient with Josh's fingers being intertwined with his own and the back and forth nature this conversation was going in was only adding on to that. So Jaqueris felt justified in taking control of Laura's body and walking her towards the group.

He saw the shocked expression when her arm involuntarily rose up and her fingers locked with Josh's overturned finger. Megan was oblivious to the hand that Jaqueris had in making Laura accept her offer shown by her joyful smile.

"See, was that so hard?" she said

Not wanting to prolong this any further Jaqueris made sure to keep the clone's mouth closed so she could not offer any negative responses. Laura gave her a look before focusing in Jaqueris with a glare no doubt noticing her lips would not rise or fall despite her attempts to do so.

"Now, its official, all three of us have to come back alive." Said Megan

The first to break the four way contact Jaqueris wasn't too sure about that little prediction.

* * *

><p>Logan eyed the mine one last time before they headed down he wasn't wearing his mask at the moment so his eyes reflected the moon light making his intensive gaze even more intense. The sky was dark out and the stars twinkled dull as if they were tired from all those years of shining. The moon wasn't even out tonight offering that much more darkness to hide in, that much more shade to exploit. Maria had been correct there was a mine leading into the base, it was away from the facility, but Wolverine still briefly wondered if they were being led into a trap.<p>

The mine jutted out the side of a mountain and had tracks running inside that seemed rusted and worn. Stationed right above it all the team had to do was drop down and proceed inside. The six of them would look out of place with their bright yellow uniforms against the mostly white and black backdrop, at least the black in the uniform helped a little.

He looked over his right shoulder at the kid's behind him and he noticed, with the exception of Laura and surprisingly Jaqueris, they were nervous. Not that he could blame them this would be their first time in the field, no pulled punches, no lasers set on stun, and this would be a real life situation and no second chances.

Though he could see that Megan was taking this particularly hard evidenced by her light shivering and it was not from the temperature because tonight was surprisingly cool lacking the frigid chill made typical by the high altitude.

Jaqueris breathed out to relieve some of the anxiety building up in him; he had felt a similar way before his confrontation with Capelli so he found this experience not as nerve racking as he thought it would be. Nevertheless he still understood the circumstances, if they failed not only would they die, but his brother would be forever trapped and more than likely abused for the rest of his life.

He heard what sounded like a whimper come from Megan so he turned to her and asked, "What's wrong?"

She rubbed her arm and gave him a meek stare, "It's just…that my Dad, he died in a mine just like this one. Throw in the fact that this **is **our first meeting, I'm a bit nervous."

Frowning in despair she eyed the mine below, to the others it was nothing more than an entrance into the underbelly of the earth, but to her it was more like a gateway to hell. She could already imagine the all encompassing darkness no doubt waiting for them and she shuddered at the thought of having to venture inside.

She was sidetracked from her fear when she felt a hand wrap around her own, looking to the side was Jaqueris holding her hand in his own. Her cheeks heated up at his show of protection and she squeezed his hand lightly.

X-23 noticed this, but her training had taught her never to bring emotions into a mission no matter how personal, though she still found herself wishing the two would focus more.

"Okay, let's go over the plan one more time." Said Danielle looking back at the children behind her, "X-23 and Pixie will head to the main ventilation room near the bottom of the base and await the signal. Nova, Elixir, Wolverine, and I will be the ones to free Ja'Keyon. Maria will be supporting us from the Blackbird." Relayed Dani

"You heard that darlin'." Said Logan seemingly to the air, but the group knew that he was speaking directly to Maria

He was speaking into the small circular headsets that Maria had given them, that fit snugly inside their ears, what made it so useful however was the fact that the device stimulated the small bones of the user's ear so only that person could hear what was going on.

Maria was sitting in front of the table on the SR-71 with the holographic blueprint of A.I.M's base lit up.

"Yes, I heard, but you might want to make some adjustments to your plan." She suggested

Wolverine raised his brow and let out an inquisitive, "And why might that be?"

Back in the plan Maria clutched her arm and sighed as she cursed herself for not handling this sooner, "Lysander hasn't responded to my calls, I'm afraid Caduceus might have discovered him."

Logan's eyes widened drawing the rest of his teammate's attention to him as he turned his back away from them. He spoke in a low growl, "Are you telling me these guys know we're coming?"

Laura's ears perked up as she listened closely without changing her expression.

Maria rubbed the bridge of her nose before speaking again, "No, Lysander's no traitor…but you should work under the assumption that they do." She finished

Logan wanted to hit something, anything solid, but he couldn't lose his cool in front of his team to unnerve them further would only be detrimental. So he settled for biting his bottom lip and gripping his fist, "And you couldn't bother to tell us this before because…"

Maria felt her heart drop at his open ended question, "Because I was afraid you would refuse. You see I want you to rescue Lysander as well. If he really has been captured and wasn't executed immediately he'll be in the prison cells at the bottom of the base." she revealed

It was strange to Laura to watch Logan from behind, outwardly appearing to converse with the wind, making threatening growls, and seeing his shoulders rise in anger as he inhaled. His body language conveyed that his conversation with the woman on the phone had, what was the term, headed south?

"We came for the boy, not some scientist who can't take care of himself." Said Logan

Laura's narrowed her eyes for a second before returning them to their regular size. Jaqueris began to tap his foot impatiently, he was usually a calm boy but he hated to wait for things even though he could and would lecture someone on the value of patience. Megan and Josh, not being able to shake their pre-mission jitters, were a little grateful for the hold up.

Danielle was growing both concerned and irritated at the unexpected extension.

"Did you forget? I have the entire base mapped out in front of me, do you really want to waltz around that base practically blind?" she half-threatened but rose up from her chair as if he were right in front of her

Silence filled the headset that Maria was using and she feared for a minute that the hairy mutant would still refuse her request to save Lysander until an agitated reply came through, "Fine, we'll save your boyfriend lady." He said

A cry undoubtedly refusing Logan's claim came through but he ignored it completely. He had to admit she had them by the proverbial balls, they could not hope to infiltrate A.I.M's headquarters without inside info. It was already crazy enough trying to break inside in the first place, but to do so without crucial intelligence was suicide. While he himself might have a death wish or two he could not in good conscience put the others in such a position.

So without turning to them he said, "A change of plans has come up. Me and Mirage will be rescuing a scientist of A.I.M. the same guy who Laura brought to the room before."

Wolverine didn't have to turn around to know that most of the faces behind him would have aggravated frowns and downright grimaces. So he braced himself for it the best way he knew how…by ignoring it.

"What? How come?" asked Jaqueris his temper rising staring at the back of Logan

"I have to agree with Nova on this one Wolverine, that wasn't apart of the plan." Said Danielle

Logan looked over his shoulder; he could tell Dani was square with him while he could sniff the anger building up in Nova despite trying to keep a balling face from turning into a full blown glower.

"The woman threatened to not assist us in the navigation of the base, correct?" stated Laura with certainty

This was the first time he found himself wishing he didn't have Laura as a clone. Then again this was also the first time her heightened hearing had been used at his expense.

"Wolverine, is this true?" asked Dani

Logan exhaled a deep breath before taking his hands and reaching behind his head to pull up the mask drawing it over his face, "Let's go."

And with that Logan began walking towards the tracks below having no choice in the matter everyone followed him.

"This is starting out good." Said Josh following the others

Standing at the mouth of the mine Logan noticed something that was rather obvious to him from the get go, it was dark on the inside, too dark for anyone besides, him, X-23, and Nova to see.

"Jack, we're gonna need some light in here." Said Logan holding up his hand

Obeying Jaqueris held up his palm and seconds later a bright yellow light began to illuminate from his entire hand. Seeing that his request was granted Wolverine began to move inside.

Walking through the entrance of the mine Maria chimed in on the headset to Jaqueris, "There may be guards inside so be careful with that light."

Wolverine was at the head of the group so he got first glimpse of everything, the rusted tracks ran deep into the mine, the walls were lined with rubble and old metal carts, and the ceiling was stopped from caving in by wooden posts that ran up the side and across the top. Some had broken which worried Wolverine, but the place seemed to be sturdy. He could tell the place was old because there wasn't even a lighting system down here; miners probably brought their own light source just as the X-men had.

The musty earthly smell bombarded his nose, it wasn't necessarily bad just distinctive, as they walked some of them kicked up rocks making a light noise, but Wolverine knew that any noise at all was loud enough to be discovered so he warned them to watch their feet.

_Thud!_

Wolverine stopped and turned around to see that Elixir had fallen over all of a sudden. Embarrassed from drawing everyone's attention in that way Josh said in a sheepish way while he rubbed the top of his head, "Sorry, I tripped over the rail."

Frowning he said, "Just get up Foley?"

He was helped to do so by Dani who extended a hand, "Just relax, the first mission is always the worst. After a while though the jitters will leave you." She told him

Josh nodded and sincerely hoped she was right about that.

For 35 minutes Xavier's soldiers continued to walk, the path they were on winded several corners but for the most part it was a straight shot, until they came to a fork in the road.

"Talk to me, which path we take?" questioned Wolverine

Touching the hologram with a _Ping!_ she spun it around once before stopping it by placing her finger on where the group was presumed to be. Studying the layout she was able to pinpoint their exact location.

"Depends, the leftward path goes to the lower levels and the right to the top. Regardless, your choice you're close to the elevators at this point." She notified

Acknowledging this Wolverine turned to the others, "Okay, we're gonna have to split up from here. Nova and Elixir will be taking the path over yonder." He said pointing over his shoulder to the right path while simultaneously betraying his superior age to everyone here with the "yonder" comment.

"The rest of us will take the left path." Looking at the two boys that would be alone from here on out he said, "Don't do anything stupid, if you see any guards try and observe and look for a way past them that doesn't involve fighting them."

The two boys nodded that they understood as everyone began to move away from them, Megan didn't move however and held onto Jaqueris' hand which was about to raise a few questions from Jaqueris.

"Megan, what are you-_Smooch!"_

He stopped when a wet kiss was planted on his cheek; she looked at him with her twinkling eyes, "For good luck." Before joining the others

"Mirage and Pixie stay close to Laura and me."

Jaqueris rubbed the side of his cheek and fought back a goofy smile, "Alright, Casanova, let's get going before I barf." Said Josh walking past him

Holding the light to illuminate the back of his head Jaqueris said, "Wait, Elixir, I'm going to turn off the light now since Gale said we might run into enemy soldiers and it's just you a me now."

Unfamiliar with his mutant powers Josh asked in bewilderment, "Then how will we…"

Anticipating his question Jaqueris pointed to his eyes and said, "Night vision, just stay close and try not to trip over anymore rails."

Sucking his teeth in acknowledgement and giving a "Whatever" nod of the head Josh stood in place. A tingling sensation focused around Jaqueris' eyes as his normal eyesight was replaced with a greenish hue which now allowed him to see everything as bright as day.

"Let's go." Said Jaqueris

* * *

><p>Megan looked back for the third time now even thought she could not see anything in the darkness. She was walking close behind Dani taking careful steps so as to not end up like Josh. Without Jaqueris holding her hand she felt a little bit more afraid and kept thinking something was going to jump out and grab her.<p>

"They'll be okay, Pixie." Said Dani but she wasn't sure if she was telling the girl that or herself

Megan nodded slowly, not entirely sure if she believed Mirage or not, all she knew was that with the combination of facing one of her worst fears and breaking into a terrorist base was not how she wanted to speed her day and wished it would end already.

"We have arrived." Said Laura

Megan looked up and saw that there was indeed a light ahead that went inside a wider area of the mine. Getting closer she the light tingled her eyes as they readjusted from not being in the dark. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in as she stepped into the light.

The area had great width with lights running around in a circle allowing the elevator that was in the middle of the cave to be seen. The shaft ran all the wall up to the ceiling but you could tell it went further; it seemed to have some age to it but still sturdy. The metal door before them marked the entrance to the elevator.

"Where is our destination?" asked Laura into the headset

"Everyone is going to have to head up, but you and Pixie are about two floors above where Wolverine and Mirage will drop off. It'll be marked by a red light on the outside." Said Maria

Logan eyed the elevator at present it was waiting on a level they were not on, but they couldn't use it to ride up because of the audible _Ding_ it would make upon stopping might draw attention to them, so they would have to do it the hard way.

"Okay, we're climbing up, so I hope no one is afraid of heights." Said Logan walking towards the door

Unsheathing his claws he stuck the blades in between the crease in the door and pushed them aside.

"Let's go." He said

* * *

><p>Nova and Elixir stood before the doorway Nova had cut off his night vision to prevent himself from being blinded by the new lights present, "Where exactly do we go from here?" asked Elixir<p>

The device tickled Josh's ear like a feather as the woman spoke, "Up about three floors." Answered Maria

Josh looked at Jaqueris who received the message as well he stretched out his hand and pointed it at the door. Magnetically he touched the door; it was a strange feeling like he was putting a bit of his soul into the object or something briefly connecting with it. Also there was a strange whirring sound whenever he used his magnetic powers, but he wasn't sure if anyone else heard it besides him.

The door's slid open boy themselves to reveal empty space and black cables connecting to the car and metal running around the rectangular shaft.

"Okay, Elixir, try not to move so much while I do this." Said Jaqueris

Josh was about to ask what he was talking about until he felt his weight drop to zero as he began to levitate from the ground. It was a funny feeling making his head feel light at first as if he stood up to fast and he felt a sensation he could only describe as his stomach floating. The best comparison he had to this was if he was floating underwater without getting wet.

He didn't have time to explore the wonders of zero-g any further as Nova flew inside the shaft with Josh involuntarily following behind. Now he could see that he was being pulled along like he was attached to a hook as Jaqueris pulled him.

He tried not to look at the flashing lights passing him or the metal girders, because of getting motion sickness as they sped upwards.

Maria placed her hands on the table as the three groups of mutants made their way to their locations. As they moved up the signatures from their headsets appeared as blips on the hologram letting her know their exact locations.

Wolverine and Mirage had gotten off on their floor, so had Pixie and X-23, while Nova and Elixir were fast approaching their destination.

She sat back in her chair and sighed, "So far so good."

When she said this it was with a tone of foreboding, they had been lucky not to encounter any security yet, which Maria considered strange, but chalked it up to good luck.

"Okay, Wolverine, the door to the prison cell is dead ahead of you. The same goes for Pixie and X-23; the ventilation room isn't far off. But Nova and Elixir when you two arrive you're gonna be a little farther away than the others."

"Joy." Said Nova as he ascended to the third floor elevator door

Turning on his X-ray vision he checked to see if anybody was waiting on the other side, there wasn't. So he willed the doors to open as he brought Josh up beside him, they both moved inside the hallway and Nova made sure to close the door behind them.

They were standing inside a three way hallway leading left, right, and forward with the left and right pathways leading to a metal door. It was bright inside these hallways with the wall lined with intricate circuitry that Nova wasn't going to dare try and understand.

Putting is fingers to his temple he closed his eyes as he tried to sense any bioelectrical signals or cameras, he could feel the wave of energy spread out from his head. It made that characteristic _Vroom_ sound that only he could hear as it searched for any beating hearts or anything else that would cause a surge of electricity.

He picked up the lights lining the walls but nothing else.

Wolverine sniffed the air for any stray scents searching for soldiers, in his line of work he knew there was no such thing as lucky only smokescreens set up by your enemy to make it appear as if you were fortunate enough to avoid his clutches.

Picking up no signatures he headed towards the door leading into the prison, it was locked.

"Don't you think this is a bit too easy, Wolverine?" asked Mirage

Logan put his hand on the door and tried to speculate on its thickness, "Been thinking that for a while now. Most we can do is get this guy and hope he doesn't have a bomb strapped to his chest."

With a wave of his clawed hand Logan sliced down the metal door blocking their way, slipping through the mangled remains of the doorway the two mutants took in the massive prison. The walls were lined with cells with only a few centimeters of brick present before being cut off by iron bars. The problem however lied within the sheer size of the place; it was so big this room alone could make Ryker's prison seem like a child's crib.

"Alright, how are we supposed to find this guy?" Said Dani looking around the colossal area

Maria closed her eyes in thought, she had no way that she could pinpoint Lysander from this location; the hologram only showed the one's outfitted with the earpieces. If only she had…

"Wait, I have an idea." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, _"Who would've thought voicemail would actually be useful?"_

Back at the base the out of place ring of a cell phone began rang in the air. It originated from deeper inside the prison. Mirage and Wolverine exchanged looks before heading to find the source.

It was loud in this room; the large machines responsible for providing cool air to the enormous base made atrocious mechanical noise that irritated her sensitive hearing. Ignoring this mild discomfort she began to observer her surroundings, the room was unorthodox in her opinion, with the floor being only grates that allowed an abundance of light to shine up through the square holes in the metal.

Despite this the room was still perpetually dark especially in the upper levels which could be accessed via four flights of stairs that met on a central walkway. She looked behind her to find Megan walking around apparently in awe with the place.

"So, how exactly am I supposed to send my Pixie Dust into the ventilation system?" asked Megan having to raise her voice because of the ambient noise

Kneeling down beside a nearby ventilator, Laura popped her claws and cut open a square portion of the machine, but only enough that the outer covering came off.

Pixie looked over X-23's shoulder to get a view of the inner workings of the machine. There were wires, circuit boards, and blinking lights which only served to confuse Megan who knew next to nothing about engineering.

Laura pointed at a metal duct that had a circular airway placed on it, "This system uses HVAC, which is an acronym for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. It is designed for indoor or automotive comfort and is a major sub discipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. It…"

"Laura, I mean X-23, what I meant was what do I need to do to make sure the dust travels through not exactly how it's going to happen." She said recognizing that the girl had misunderstood her

X-23 gave her an unwavering gaze before turning back to the machine, "Direct your "dust" inside the vents, the machines will distribute it throughout the base."

"Okay, thanks." She said nodding with a nervous smile

X-23 continued to stare at her. She did not understand the girl, days before she could smell the dislike that Megan had for her, the tense expression she adopted whenever her name was said by Jaqueris or even in her presence, but after their short time together in Colorado there was almost no hint of it. It was almost as if the girl had forgotten Laura's and Jaqueris' kiss.

She shook her head, she should not be thinking of such things on a mission, it could cause her to miss important details; she had to stay vigil…

_Clang!_

Her head snapped to her left when she heard a noise like something had dropped to the ground. Though the machine noise around her was distracting she could make out softer tones if she focused.

Turning her body slowly in the direction of the disturbance –_Snikt_ she extracted her claws and crouched slightly. As she began to move Megan spotted her strange movements and was about to question her on it but, "Pixie, stay here and be quiet."

Her tone made her not want to question why so she watched as the trained assassin disappeared behind a machine.

Laura moved deliberately, she had not picked up any scents that a human would leave behind, and there were not many who could fool her nose. So then what could have made such a noise, she inquired that perhaps something had just fallen off the machine, but her upbringing told her not to accept that answer and investigate.

Nearing where she heard the sound she held her breath and put her back to the machine. Creeping to the edge but stopping so that her hair would not snake around the corner she stopped. For now all she could hear was the roar of the machines, but she could sense someone around the corner.

Getting even lower to the ground she raised her right arm to her chest but kept space between it. Placing her left arm above her left knee she was now prepared to strike swiftly and accurately. From this stance she could stab the spy in the chest and finish him quickly with another to his gut.

Ready to pounce she rounded the corner.

* * *

><p>Elixir and Nova made their way slowly through the hallways of A.I.M. They had been instructed to take the straight path as that was the shortest route to Ja'Keyon. The two walked in relative silence save for the directions that Maria gave over the earpieces.<p>

"Don't you think it's strange?" said Elixir

Nova stopped at a corner and peeked around like a military recruit before responding, "What is?"

Pulling away from the wall and following his teammate he said, "This is. A.I.M. You'd expect them to have like a whole army of kickass robots or something waiting to make mincemeat out of anyone trying to get inside."

Giving him a raised brown over the shoulder Jaqueris said, "You'd rather a bunch of guys shooting at us instead? Truth be told if they want to hand my brother back to us on a silver platter then I'm not complaining."

Nova suddenly stopped and put his hand on Josh's chest to prevent him from moving forward as well, "What?" asked Josh seeing his stern expression

"There's something in this hallway, but I can't make it out. I can feel it…in my head." He said tapping his skull

Josh didn't have in-depth knowledge of Nova's powerset so he said, "What like a spider-sense?"

Removing his hand he wanted to give him a slap on the neck for that one, but was stopped when Maria spoke, "You're probably sensing the infrared lasers in that section of hallway. It's extra protection for Null, if you trip even one the entire pathway will be sealed off and filled with monoxide." She said

"That's great, I guess we're gonna have to find another way around then?" said Elixir unhappily

Stepping forward Nova said, "No we don't, all I have to do is redirect the beams away from us while we walk through."

"Oh." Was all Elixir could say while Nova proceeded

Nova changed his vision to pick up infrared and was greeted with the straight lines guarding the hallway. A few feet ahead of them there were rows of parallel lines hovering a few inches from the floor, from the roof two more sets of rays moved from side to side, but the most intricate display was the web of rays at the end of the hall way no matter how skillful someone was in getting past the first set of lasers. This wall was impassable unless you could melt down into a puddle and squeeze through the miniscule spaces available.

"Alright, stay in my shadow, Elixir."

With that Josh stepped in behind Nova and shadowed him as he proceeded.

* * *

><p>The light from the screens in front of him cast a weak blue glow over Caduceus' face and reflected off of his glasses. He had been watching this band of mutants ever since they arrived in the base. Ordering all of the guards and scientists to a certain location would undoubtedly pave the way for them to find Null and accomplish whatever obscene objective they wanted.<p>

"Wolverine, I found him, but he isn't responding." Said the one called Mirage from a screen to his left

She know doubt was referring to the crouching figure that was placed in the corner of that cell along with Lysander's cell phone, little did they know however…that wasn't Lysander inside that cell.

A smile spread across his face as it was now time to put his plan into motion. The ones named Nova and Elixir were still in the hallway as they diverted the beams from them to avoid tripping the gas, while the two teenage girls were still in the ventilation room.

"I think it's time to make our guest feel welcome, right Harkness?" said Caduceus referring to the man standing beside a beaten Lysander strapped to a chair his head slumped

He had various cuts around his face and his eye was even swollen along with a few bruises for good measure. The A.I.M. Captain held up a small black device with a red button and a short antennae sticking out.

Holding it up in the air he said, "I think so."

* * *

><p>Pressing the button the ground shook below them as an explosion erupted.<p>

Wolverine and Mirage maintained their balance as the ground shook violently beneath them.

"What was that?" asked Wolverine to no one in particular

Mirage was beginning to express her own uncertainty when the dark figure in the corner lifted his head. She continued to watch as yellow eyes shined in the darkness as the figure stood up ominously. Backing away she watched as it prodded towards her with heavy footsteps.

Once it stepped into the light she could make out a silver foot followed by a silver leg that connected to a 6'2'' frame which weighed at least 200 lbs. The creature looked like he was trying out for a Mr. Olympia Contest with all the muscles he possessed, abs, thighs, everything was toned and the opposite of small.

Mirage might have blushed had she been a teenager and not wary of this threatening newcomer, "Wolverine, what is that?" she coming to his side

_Snikt- he answered by drawing his claws_

"What is it that you see?" asked Maria

Recovering from the sight before he she said, "A guy that looks like the Silver Surfer, but without the board."

Maria's placed her hand over her mouth at this as she thought, _"Caduceus."_

"It's called a Super-Adaptoid, it copies the powers of any superpower beings that are close to it." She told them in haste

_Zrooom!_

The eyes of the being lit up a white color before beams of light shot out headed directly for the heads of Logan and Dani. Due to training they both dived out of the way allowing the beam to hit the bars of a cell behind them. It melted away the iron like it was nothing then made a scorch mark on the wall. It had also burned a reasonable sized hole in its own cell allowing it to come out.

"And we've got about 7 mutants in this base. One of which could create a nuclear holocaust on his own." Danielle said

Looking into its eyes she saw no emotion or thought or anything else that suggested the thing in front of them was sentient at all.

Having no qualms anyway Logan growled to himself, _"Raaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgghhh!" _he roared as he lunged at the android

* * *

><p>Laura's leg shook as what sounded like an explosion ripped through the base, Megan's footwork was not as exquisite as Laura's so she resorted to lifting into the air to stop from falling.<p>

"X-23 what was that?" she asked

Laura began to walk towards her, "I do not know."

As the girl moved towards her Pixie caught the air shimmer behind her revealing a man in a yellow beekeeper suit adorned in combat gear…and wielding a shotgun pointed at Laura's back.

"Look out!" she yelled pointing

As soon as the warning came X-23 spun around claws unsheathed and all.

_Bang!_

* * *

><p>Nova and Elixir dropped to the floor from the seismic like event that just took place accompanied by a loud boom. Losing his concentration his eyes bulged when he and Elixir's body made contact with the now broken beams.<p>

Just as they had been warned the hallway section they were in became sealed off by glass as the panes fell from the ceiling and ended in the ground. They could not see anything making it more unnerving when a light hissing came into their ears.

"What's that?" asked Josh fearfully as he stood

Nova did the same and observed the top of the walls to find air vents open as the hissing sound came through.

"Gas." He said despairingly

* * *

><p>Null shook against the wall as a blast issued from the bottom of the base causing the light above Null's head to flicker. He groaned because he had actually managed to fall asleep and now something had managed to wake him.<p>

Coming to his senses he reassessed that an explosion just occurred, and explosions meant people dying, people dying meant less people standing between him and his escape.

"What's going on out there?" he asked himself

* * *

><p>I wanted to end this entire thing in one chapter, but I'm already at 19 pages, and with what I want to add that's going to be at least another eight pages. Sorry for those who were expecting this to be the end of the Brotherhood arc. Believe me I want to move on too, but hey I only have one chapter left and I promise you it will surprise you all. Stay tuned and review.<p> 


	25. Brotherhood Conclusion Part 2

**Brotherhood Conclusion Part 2**

* * *

><p>Jaqueris fell to his knees and let out a haggard cough as he held his throbbing skull as a headache pounded in his temple. His eyes were tired and begging to be closed but his logical mind knew what would happen if he did so prompting him force his lids to stay open.<p>

Looking behind him he saw Josh slumped up against a wall holding his head as he struggled to stay awake. His eyes blinked slowly with the time that they stayed closed increasing with every closure.

"Josh, don't fall asleep! Try holding your breath." screamed Jaqueris before he closed his mouth shut hoping to preserve some precious breathable air

Josh's head made a motion which could barely pass for a nod as he stood up weakly trying to balance himself. The gas coming from above his head hissed like a cobra ready to strike pushing more of the poisonous vapor into the closed off section of the hallway.

"Nova, you have to get out of there! It's only a matter of time before you and Elixir succumb to the effects of the carbon monoxide." Said Maria through the earpiece

"_Duly noted!" he thought_

Putting out his hand a crushing wave of force was sent out directed at the glass barrier before him. Expecting shattered glass to litter the metallic floor it was an utter shock when the barricade stood tall as strong as before without even a crack appearing to blemish it.

"_You've got to be kidding me." _Jaqueris thought despairingly

* * *

><p>"Gaaaaahhh!" Logan grunted as he was thrown against the wall and held in place by now green hand clutching his throat<p>

The Adaptoid had successfully copied his powers and now seemed to be mocking him by adopting a facial mask and suit that was identical to Wolverine's expect it was green along with the rest of his body.

"Never thought I'd see the day when a tin can tried to off me while wearing my face." He quipped

He didn't know if robot's had emotions but it appeared so when it tightened it's already vice like grip around his windpipe. Its yellow eyes shined vibrantly as it looked at Wolverine with an emotionless yet menacing gaze.

"Enough of this!" he said as he ejected his claws, holding his arms above his head he brought them down on the arm of the robot slicing through it cleanly like butter

His air passageways reopened Logan coughed as he tried to breathe again. The Adaptoid backed away in apparent disbelief as it looked at its now missing appendix. Loose wires hung out as sparks jumped from the open circuitry, he expected oil to be flying out, but that was a just another indicator of his clichéd and outdated perception of robots.

Rubbing his throat Logan looked behind the robot to see the unmoving form of Mirage sprawled out on the ground. Her back was turned to him exposing a mid-sized burn marking on her back which was visible due to the burned cloth of her uniform.

Filled with rage at seeing her downed the former Weapon X growled and rushed the copycat machine. "Raaagggh!" he roared

It must not have had his reflexes because it didn't or couldn't dodge allowing Wolverine to show his appreciation by driving his claws in the abdomen of the mechanical man. The being grabbed his wrist using his one good arm as he tried to remove himself from the mutant's blades.

Wolverine thought the encounter was concluded with this normally fatal move, but this science experiment gone awry would prove to be more of a challenge then Logan expected. Its grip clasped onto the metal bone of Wolverine's wrist as it stared into his eyes.

Logan returned the glare while baring his teeth like a feral dog, extracting the hand that wasn't being held he reared back his arm to deliver another stab to the chest of the robot, "Haaaaahhhh!" he yelled about to deliver the killing blow

As his foot long claws neared the heartless chest of the robot Wolverine stopped his hand when he saw the person in front of him. It was so shocking that he retracting his claws with an audible _Snikt _as he backed away from the sight.

"Jean?" he said in doubt

Indeed the red-haired beauty was standing before him but not in her usual elegance instead she was in a state that could never hope to pass for the normally stunning Jean Grey. She was bleeding from the mouth so much that her chin was as red as her hair, her left arm was gone with blood dripping from the wound in abundance, and she was clutching her side with even more blood seeping through her fingers as she tried desperately to stop the flow.

These grievous injuries combined with her ghostly pale complexion made the woman before her seem nothing like the strong woman Logan had grown to admire greatly over the years. A feeling Logan was not accustomed to feeling now ran rampant throughout his hear, it was fear. Fear that he had finally given in to his animalistic tendencies and butchered someone close to him, that he was now what his creators had intended him to be…a killer.

"Logan…_cough_…how could you do this to me?" asked the dying woman in front of him taking a wobbly step forward

Wolverine moved back as she moved forward unwilling to accept the image in front of him.

As the mutant before the Adaptoid fell under the illusion he was placed under the machine walked over to its dismembered arm. It was cut off at the elbow, such an injury would normally have been detrimental to him, but currently that was not the case. As he moved toward his arm the stab wounds in its stomach began to close miraculously.

Grabbing its arm it placed it back in its proper place and waited. It could not actually feel anything like a human would, but it could sense the wires and detached parts of its arm mend itself back together until it was finally complete.

Twisting its arm and flexing its fingers in a surprisingly human way to ensure its arm was functional it turned back to the mutant that did this to him. Fortunately he was still under the effects of the illusion placed on him making him an easy target.

Its eyes glowed yellow with an alarming glow as it stared at the target in front of him.

* * *

><p><em>Bang!<em>

The loud noise of the gunshot rocked Laura's sensitive hearing given that the discharge was so close to her head. Ducking under the gunfire she closed the distance between her and the now visible A.I.M. soldier dressed in a black combat uniform with a gas mask. The gun he was using was pump action so he would have to cock it everytime before he wished to fire.

Laura was using that small window to render the man defenseless, as his hand drew back to cock the gun, X-23 knocked the gun away from her body but the man held onto it. It did not matter however because Laura had two hands and used the other by driving it into the man's underbelly squirting out blood.

"Aaaggghh…guuuuhh." The man muttered incomprehensibly as his life slipped from his body

X-23 pulled out her bloodied claws as the man's body slumped to the ground making a clanging sound as he hit the metal grate. Laura was glad he had on a mask, she did not like to see her victims eyes after they died, that blank stunned look made it feel as if the person was still watching her from beyond death's veil…judging her.

"Are you okay?" asked Pixie running up to her eyeing the corpse with apprehensive eyes she was obviously not used to death unlike Laura

The throbbing in her eardrums made her want to say, "No" but she kept quiet. However she did prefer hurt eardrums than a chest full of buckshot, despite some people's belief she did not enjoy being shot no matter how fast she healed, the painful sensation of lead breaking and cracking through bone while tearing flesh was something only a masochist could appreciate.

Thanks to Megan's warning however she would not have to experience this pain…for now anyway.

"I will survive. We should survey the area from the higher platform, I could not smell the scent of this man and it is likely that his comrades may prove undetectable to my senses as well." She suggested

Nodding Laura moved past the bubble gum haired girl to return to the wider area of the generator room.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

The trained assassin froze in place at the sound of footsteps running across the grated floor. Leveling her metal claws she gritted her teeth as her green eyes darted back and forth to survey the area.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

She took half a step backwards toward Megan even though she knew that she was cornering herself and the girl. Though in this instance she had no choice, running forward would only open them up to be shot down in the open space ahead and Pixie lacked a healing factor so one well aimed bullet would mean the end of her.

"X-23, what's happening?"

"Be quiet." Said Laura seriously as she moved backwards

She spotted a shadow moved across the floor cast by the light coming from below them; it was not safe in this narrow path. They could be shot down easily from the front and it was a wonder why they had not been yet, not understanding providence Laura couldn't question it so she took Pixie's wrist and lead her to the end of pathway over the body lying on the ground.

Placing her behind the generator Laura placed her back against the large metal machine and crouched. This situation was dire, she did not know how many hostiles were in the room or the type of weapons they were carrying only that she could not smell them and they were invisible to the naked eye.

She peeked around the corner showing only the minimalist portion of her nose and eye. She had grown used to the ambient noise of the machines so she could focus on any other foreign sounds and right now…it was quiet. This was not good, silence could mean one of two things, either the enemy was hidden and lying in wait for you or they had found you and just waiting for you to make yourself an easier target.

Neither scenario was appealing to X-23, if only she could…

_Bang!_

Laura moved her head back behind the machine as a bullet whizzed past where her nose had been. Blood trickled down from the straight cut across her nose made by the projectile. She listened as the sound of footsteps signaled that the assailant was relocating to a new point.

She was able to take in the information from his weapon discharge.

"_Automatic rifle: Gas operated AKM, precision scope, and firing 7.62x39mm rounds." _

X-23 would have to tread carefully from the shot fired moments ago, the squad sent after them had a crack shot in their midst and with the fragile body of Pixie needing her protection she had a feeling this was going to be a very painful experience.

* * *

><p><em>The relentless summer sun of New York City was beating down with even more ruthlessness today as the two young African-American boys, wearing black Jordan basketball shoes with sports sock, stood in the famous basketball court affectionately called "The Rucker" by natives. One was eleven years old bending over as he churned out tired breathes, sweat glistened across his back as his shoulders lowered and rose continuously. Sweaty palms clinching his black basketball shorts Ja'Keyon coughed dryly.<em>

_Besides his greater height, silver shorts, and stern expression, the teenager of 17 looked very similar to his brother sharing the same brown eyes, low haircuts, and basic facial features. He was also sweating profusely but didn't seem to be tired as he held the orange basketball between under his arm._

"_Are you ready to give up now?" Jaqueris asked_

_Ja'Keyon looked up at his brother wryly and defiantly said, "You first."_

_Smiling with pride Jaqueris began to dribble the ball again, "Good, I managed to teach you something at least…never give up."_

Nova had no idea why he was recalling this memory now of all times. Maybe it was because the myth of your life flashing before your eyes was true or perhaps his subconscious was trying to tell him something. No matter the case he had to get out of here…now!

He sent another gravity blast at the pane of glass and another and another only to be met with the same unprogressive result again and again. With every failed attempt he felt his strength being sapped from him, his mind was foggy and it was getting increasingly difficult for him to form thoughts, and his eyes were already half closed.

He walked slowly towards the glass obstruction and fell forward placing his hands on the glass as his knees hit the floor. There wasn't any pain as his bones clanged against the metal; his mind was now swimming in a sea of disorientation causing his surroundings to blend into a soup of unrecognizable mesh.

Nova looked behind himself to spot Elixir sitting against the wall, his chin was touching his chest as his head was completely lowered, his eyes were closed and his arms were spread out across the floor. Nova was too inebriate to feel dread at this sight, he pressed his forehead against the glass and slid his hands down a little.

"_Is this it? Am I really going to die like this?" _he thought looking at the ground

Maria stood up and looked with perpetual fear at the hologram in front of her as if it could give her answers. This situation had taken a turn for the worst in a matter of moments, not only was the X-men attacked from all angles, but she had lost contact with Nova and Elixir.

She gripped at her hair and wanted to pull desperately, but restrained herself; placing her hand on her communicator she tried reaching Nova one last time.

"Jaqueris…have….out…hear me?" said the mangled words of Maria through the ear piece

In truth he felt her words no longer mattered, he had failed, he had failed in rescuing his little brother and now he was going to die for it. Not only that but his brother would suffer because of his letdown at the hands of A.I.M., this realization made his last moments feel extremely depressed.

All he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep to the soft hissing of the gas coming through the vents.

"Are you ready to give up?" said a voice that made Nova think he was already dead

Opening his eyes wide he looked up through the glass and saw his brother, but not the sixteen year old assassin he was trying to rescue, but how he remembered him best as his eleven year old self wearing nothing but a pair of black spandex shorts.

He wanted to answer "No" but the combination of the poisonous gas making his vocal chords useless and the hysteria from seeing his brother reverted back to his proper age made talking a far away dream.

His brother crossed his arms and gave Nova a disappointed look as he brought up the corner of his mouth to emphasize, "So much for that lesson you taught me huh? I never thought you would be a hypocrite or a quitter for that matter, but life's full of surprises right?" he said holding up his arms and shrugging his shoulders

"_No, it's not like that. I tried I really did but…" _Nova answered in his head

Ja'Keyon put his hand to his ear as if he was trying to hear better, "But what you say?"

He lowered his hand before shaking his head and sighing loudly. Walking towards the glass obstacle separating him and his brother he tapped on it lightly with his bent index finger, "You're telling me **this **is going to stop you? Really? Well, if that and poisonous gas was all it took then maybe it was never meant to be huh?"

Putting his fists on his side he looked down at Nova expecting an answer. Jaqueris found himself unable to even think up a response shame suddenly enveloping him. Scoffing at his lack of response Ja'Keyon rubbed his head, "Does this make it easier for you? Dying in here so that you can tell Mom and Dad that you did so trying to save me? But then again you never really believed in the afterlife did you?" he said with his voice cracking for a split second

No reply came, but Ja'Keyon nodded as if one did, "Well, whatever makes the transition easier I suppose. I guess I'll be seeing you Jaqueris."

He said sadly before turning around and walking down the hallway his shoulders slumped. Stopping when he was about 5 feet away he turned back one last time and looked at his brother…his eyes watering.

And just like that he disappeared.

Nova wasted precious seconds staring in the distance his mouth agape. His headache, his tiredness, and his labored breathing all seemed to have vanished now but he wasn't standing up. Not just yet as he was busy punishing himself for even thinking of giving up and leaving his brother in a place like this.

He really was a sucky older brother not only had he allowed his younger sibling to be kidnapped, but he also was ready to give up when he had a chance to save him from a terrible life.

"_Not anymore." _he said rising to his feet

He was a little wobbly at first but eventually he stood tall, but he couldn't waste any time. His oxygen supply was all but gone and he only had enough strength left for one last push. So holding both his hands to his side he gathered swells of gravity in both hands.

This was different for a few reasons because he normally used one hand when he sent out a repulsive wave which decreased the power behind it, but left him with more energy. The other reason it was different was because he never charged the payload instead just sending it forward, but now he held it in his hands. He could feel the mysterious force swelling and bulging in his hands taking the shape of orbs ready to be set loose.

Not the one for dramatic pauses and feeling he was about to lose consciousness at any moment he pushed both his hands forward and propelled a massive force at the glass. This time the result was instantaneous, the wall was obliterated as all the glass crashed to the floor.

As soon as the glass fell the hissing noise from the vents ceased, letting Nova know that there would be no more gas being sent through. For a moment he could not believe what he was seeing and wondered if he was hallucinating again.

"Nova, get out of there now!" ordered Maria the sound blaring into his ear shocking him back to reality

Turning back to Elixir and extending his hand, the healing mutant's body was drawn towards Nova. He pulled Josh's limp arm over his own neck and grabbed his hip using his other arm. With Josh now in tow Nova moved as quickly as possible out of the gas filled hallway.

Maria let out a relieved sigh, _"That was a close one."_ She thought

"There's a medical room not far away from your position, Nova, around the corner it's the first door to your left. Both you and Elixir are going to need fresh oxygen quickly!" implored Maria

* * *

><p>X-23 breathed in and out of her nostrils as she reviewed the information available, she dared not speak to Maria for that may make the situation even more precarious. There were an undetermined number of enemies who were undetectable by the means available to X-23 holstering weapons that could down Pixie in one clip.<p>

"_We must reveal the enemies position."_ She thought to herself

As she thought this her eyes travelled upwards to the ceiling. It was at this moment she spotted something that would be of great help to her problem, but the problem was getting up there. Looking behind her she caught Pixie sitting with her knees close to her body looking at the wall with a forlorn gaze.

Laura sat down beside the troubled girl; she was not experienced in making a partner calm during a mission. She was used to completing assignments solo anyway and her upbringing did not equip her with the necessary skills to do so.

"Pixie, I require your assistance. Do you see the sprinklers above?" she said pointing to the ceiling

Megan looked at Laura before following her finger in the direction she was pointing. She was able to find the small metallic sprinklers in the ceiling.

"Yes." She said meekly

"I need you to fly up there and release your Pixie Dust onto the sprinklers." She said

The girl's fearful gaze deepened as she processed what Laura was asking of her, "But…won't they shoot me?"

X-23 put her mouth in a straight line and said calmly, "You must move quickly, do not stop until you are in range. Even then you must distribute the dust with haste failure to do so will result in…"

"I know." She sighed, she wondered if Laura was trying to encourage her or scare her into doing her job, "Alright, I'm ready."

The A.I.M. soldier studied the pathway that lead to the two mutant girls hiding around the corner. He knew they had no other way to escape unless they came out of that pathway and at that point they would be executed promptly. The only reason they had not gone down that way to be rid of them was because they were wise to the skill of the mutant with the claws, she had effortlessly killed one of their comrades who was no pushover so they were not too keen on engaging her directly.

So here they were waiting patiently for them to reveal themselves which they would eventually. He switched the firing mode of his M4 to full auto; his compatriots were equipped with similar firearms as well as the electronic stealth camouflage given to them by Captain Harkness. He didn't understand the technical workings of the small device but knew it worked by bending light around them to make them invisible.

It was one of the perks of working for A.I.M.; you got access to some of the best toys.

A flash of pink brought his attention to the ceiling above as the girl with fairy wings began to fly upwards. Wasting no time he opened fire at the girl which prompted his other comrades to do the same.

Because she had a head start on them the initial fire missed, but he was confident that once she hit the top of the ceiling she would fall to their shots.

"Lieutenant, watch out!" screamed one of his underlings from behind

The superior officer looked down at hearing the warning and was greeted with a claw to the eye. He died instantly when the blade pierced his brain.

If X-23 wasn't so emotionally controlled she would have smiled seeing that her plan worked. With Pixie as a distraction she knew the guards would open fire and while they were invisible the sounds of their guns were still perceptible betraying their positions to her sharp hearing. By following the sound of the gunshots she estimated that there were 8 gunmen.

The first man dropped to the ground his head sliding off of her claw leaving behind a coat of blood. The other men were stunned for a few moments allowing X-23 to attack further.

_Slink!_

That was the sound made when her foot claw cut the man across his chest sending blood and surprisingly sparks and metal extremities onto the floor, but he had been anticipating her attack somewhat making him step back when her leg moved.

Not only had she been able to cut him across his chest leaving a bloody wound she had inadvertently damaged his Stealth camo device to the point that it could no longer hide him.

"You're gonna pay for that one, bitch!" he said threateningly as he holstered his gun

He could hear his still invisible comrades cock their weapons to kill the little girl; she would regret trying to take them all on at once…

His visions of the macabre were interrupted as he heard something pattering against his suit, it fell on his head and shoulders in great abundance accompanying by the clear drizzle he saw falling everywhere even on the young girl before him washing the blood off her claws. Looking up he saw the residue pink dust floating over the water devices and nearby he saw that pink haired girl fluttering in the air.

"_This is not good."_ He thought

Anger made his face ball up and twist with all this water falling on them the outline of his team's bodies could now be easily seen making them appear like ghostly specters. That girl had now revealed their position to an extremely dangerous mutant.

"You damn mutie!" he said taking aim at Megan

He saw her eyes widen at his outburst and pointed gun, he was jovial at the possibility of her falling out of the air like a bird and then dropping to the ground lifeless. Unbeknownst to him this would always remain a fantasy however because X-23 was on him the moment she saw him raise his gun at the girl.

_Snikt!_

A shearing pain ripped through his stomach making him keel forward until his sternum stopped on the shoulder of the young mutant killer. She had impaled him on her four claws driving them deep into his digestive system. He spit out a load of blood inside his helmet before falling to the side dead.

The water from the sprinklers mixed with his blood spreading it out into a diluted puddle which dripped below into the grated floor. The remaining soldiers looked at the lithe girl in fear as she gave them an ominous glare which made all the more threatening now that she could "see" them.

"Who is next?" she asked evilly

* * *

><p>Wolverine backed away from the bloodied advancing form of Jean Grey or what was left of her. The massive blood loss from her missing arm should have been enough to drop her by now but she kept moving forward prompting Logan to take a step back every time not wishing to see what would happen if she caught up to him.<p>

"Wolverine…you're…nothing but a monster." She said with bloodshot eyes and hate in her voice

Wolverine wanted to argue, to say that he wasn't, that he was a man, but his words were caught in his throat. So he just stayed silent and stood in disbelief at the maimed form of the woman before him.

"_Jean…I…" _he began to think

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" he yelled in real time as the side of his face was bombarded with white light burning his flesh

He fell to the ground on one knee with his hand on the ground. Looking at his knuckles a drop of blood fell onto the back of his hand followed by several drops of blood. Wolverine could feel the burns running over the entirety of the left side of his face judging by the blood he could tell it was third degree.

The left portion of his mask had been burned off as well revealing his charcoal burnt skin as well as some portions of his adamantium skull. However Logan didn't really care about the severity of his injuries all he wanted to see was if Jean was alright.

Looking to his side he saw the image of Jean look at him with those dead empty eyes. He felt the fear and shame come over him again until something strange happened…Jean flickered. With flicker meaning her body shimmered for an instant like a hologram or something.

"_Dammit!"_ he cursed himself as he realized his stupidity

The woman in front of him wasn't Jean Grey, but an illusion that the Adaptoid had cast using Mirage's powers. He growled to himself as he stood up, rage now replacing fear. His wounds had closed up completely showing his pointy black hair and blue eyes instead of black wing of his mask and the eerie white of side of the mask that was intact.

He turned to the Adaptoid with gritted teeth as the white of his eye began to shift to a deep red. Normally he hated when he slipped into his berserker rages it made him feel too close with the animal inside of him that others tried to bring out.

But now he knew he could cut loose, that thing seemed to have a healing factor just like him so that meant.

_Snikt! Snikt!_

His six claws ejected from his hands, he was about to completely obliterate this android. Looking at the green copy of his costumed face he wondered if it thought the same way he did.

The robot eyed him curiously before balling its fist and…_Snikt!_ Three metal claws jutted out from behind the hand of the robot. This threw Logan for a loop because he was sure that robot wasn't made of the same material that covered his bones.

"Gale, can that thing make adamantium?" he asked into the headset

"No, only the metal it's made out of." She replied

"Alright, and you mind explaining to me why he hasn't ended this fight by pulling the metal out through my skin?" he asked again

"The Super-Adaptoid copies powers based on proximity, while Nova is close enough that he can use his radiation projection powers he can't utilize his magnetic powers because of the distance." She informed

"_Good."_ He thought

Lunging at the robot it sent a clawed haymaker at his head, his reflexes operating at top capacity now he ducked it and sent a clawed hook into the side of the robot. His claws tore through the metal and embedded themselves in its body.

The robot sent an overhead claw his way to try and skewer his head, but Logan ripped his claws out and rolled behind it to dodge. It was now bending over with no way to counter, so Wolverine stabbed both sets of his claws into its back. It arched its back but Logan knew this thing felt no pain.

It sent an elbow towards Logan's head but he ducked and extracted his claws again. This time he stepped to the front of the Adaptoid and swiped away at its chest. Metal scrapes flew into the air and Wolverine wailed on him.

The Adaptoid jumped back wisely and gave Wolverine that soulless gaze. Logan observed as its wounds began to close at a quickened pace, "That's alright; I've got more of where that came from."

He leapt into the air intending to decapitate the automaton but was rebuked when it sent out to separate white rays from its eyes hitting Logan square in the chest. The force of the blast knocked him out of the air and onto his back. The smoke from his burnt flesh invaded his nostrils and he could see his silver metal chest bone peeking through, but this slight burn was not keeping him down.

He attempted to rise but was forced back to the ground when the android leapt on top of him. It pinned his left arm to the floor by stabbing into his wrist, taking its free hand it grabbed his other wrist and pressed it against the metal floor.

Its hand cackled with blue electricity and Logan felt a surge pour into his hand tingling his entire arm. When the robot let go he found he could not lift his entire appendage from the floor, everytime he tried to do so he felt a strong pull that drew it back to the metal floor.

"_Damn, static electricity." _

The robot must not have any sense of personal space because he put his face really close to Wolverine's, a reminder that the thing wasn't even human and lacked any understanding of their social norm, he felt no breath from its nose despite how close it was.

Staring deep into the yellow eyes of the machine Wolverine said, "What are you looking at you ugly son of a-"

Weapon X was cut off when the robot covered his mouth with its palm and put a vice like grip around Logan's face. Soon Logan felt an intense heat irradiate from the palm of his attacker. It scorched his lips drying the flesh, soon his entire mouth was purged of any saliva, he could feel his cheeks heat up exponentially as his skin began to burn and his head began to feel light.

Logan let out a muffled yell as his flesh began to burn and the blood in his capillaries around his face began to boil. This feeling was indescribable, it was like having a fever that reached the temperature of 200 degrees and then you were dropped in the middle of the Sahara Desert during the hottest day of the summer.

Having a metal skull didn't help either with the heat being amplified by its presence. After a few seconds of this he could feel his brain beginning to fry, his vision got blurry, and his thoughts became erratic and incoherent. Consciousness seemed a distant thing to him with his mind hazing over, his eyes began to roll to the back of his head.

_Skurk!_

The Adaptoid lifted its head up and stopped its melting of Wolverine's brain when it felt something pierce through him. He looked down and saw that a steel pipe had impaled him in the back and come out the front of his chest.

Turning around he found the Native American mutant from before panting obviously the one responsible for this. Standing up and getting off of Wolverine who had his mouth wide open with cracked white lips and a dried piece of flesh that was once his tongue, his eyes were half open and all you could see was white.

Mirage backed away cautiously from the robot, her burnt back still tinged painfully reminding her of what this thing was capable of. It stopped and stared at her for a moment and even tilted its head as if it was observing her.

While it did this she wondered what she could do against such an abomination, her illusion powers wouldn't work on an inorganic being and she didn't think she could outrun this thing all she thought about was getting it off of Logan. Though right now she wished she would've thought that through more before engaging in what could now be considered suicidal behavior.

Mulling over her lack of foresight she noticed that the robot was no longer moving towards her, its head still tilted, "What's it…"

She was cut off when her entire body was flung into the air hitting several spins before crashing into the ground with a thud.

Groaning in pain she rolled over on her side to face the android, grabbing onto a bar of the jail cell for support she tried to pull herself up, but found that her leg wouldn't respond. An agonizing pain traveled through her, looking down she saw that her leg was bent awkwardly at the fibula.

"_Damn, it's broken!" _she thought

Using her good leg she was able to rise to a standing position as the robot pulled the pipe from out of its chest and threw it on the ground with a clang. It looked at her with shining yellow eyes which began to glow white with a dangerous light.

Mirage backed up fearfully, knowing what was about to come, she found she had nowhere to go with the cell behind her blocking her path. As the light in its eyes grew brighter she prepared herself for her end.

The rays shot forward and she closed her eyes expecting horrible pain to envelope her as she was burned alive like a witch. She could feel the heat increase as the beam moved towards her. In the end she just hoped the children were able to escape.

"You giving up already, Mirage!" yelled a familiar voice

Danielle opened her eyes to see Wolverine standing in front of her with his claws crossed in front of his face. This served to protect him at least partially from the harmful UV rays being poured onto him.

The Adaptoid noticed this and turned up the pressure and stepped forward. This made Wolverine take one step backwards from the assault.

And so it was that Wolverine, the feral mutant killer, was in a standoff with the Super-Adaptoid, the mimicking robot of destruction.

* * *

><p>"Nova, wake up! Come on, we've got to move!" said a voice that barely made it past the fog his mind had produced.<p>

Nova opened his eyes slightly; he must have fallen unconscious when he had carried Elixir to the medical room. He pulled the tight oxygen mask that was hooked up to a tank away from his face.

Looking up he spotted a markedly healthy looking Elixir standing above him. He was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

"How'd you get off that table?" asked Nova

Elixir smiled and stood up fully, "After I came to from the oxygen you gave me, I healed myself totally and did the same to you."

Nodding and seeing as he no longer needed the oxygen mask he stood up eager to continue his goal. The medical room looked like the inside of a clinic patient's room which made it seem only weirder that this place held his brother captive.

He breathed in once suddenly more grateful for the non poisonous air he was breathing.

"I guess I owe you one? I saved your life you saved mine." He said

Nova looked straight ahead, he wasn't preoccupied with repaying debts at the moment but said, "I guess so, let's not make a habit of putting ourselves in places where we have to save each other's lives though."

Elixir silently nodded in agreement

"Maria, how far away are we from Ja'Keyon?" he asked into the headset

"You're extremely close, in fact it's just outside that door." She almost chirped

Nova could tell by her tone that she was happy that they were about to succeed in their goal but he thought her happiness paled in comparison to his own. He was finally about to get his little brother from out of this hell hole.

Walking towards the door with a bit more pep in his step, Elixir followed. They began to jog to the door at the end of the hallway wanting to waste no more time than they had to. Knowing the door was not going to open on its own his extending his arm.

* * *

><p>Laura stood over the mangled and broken corpses of the men who had attacked her and Pixie the grated floor was lined with blood as it dripped onto the light shining below giving the room a red glow. Her fists were tinged with the life blood of the A.I.M. soldiers and but she did not retract her claws which made Pixie wary to approach her. Especially since the red light made her look very menacing at the moment.<p>

Laura seemed to find the bodies extremely interesting now after they were now cold and lifeless. Megan wondered if she was a necrophiliac and was getting off on all this death and carnage.

"_That would be really sick." _She thought

Stepping tentatively over a body she sniffed the air, the thick sweet smell of blood tickled her nose, she didn't like it at all. The sprinklers had stopped running so there was nothing to wash away the slick blood off the metal walls, machines, and floor.

"Uh…X-23…are you done?" she asked fearfully

Laura did not answer and continued her survey of the bodies. She knew for a fact that when Megan turned on the sprinklers she had counted 8 men and the different sources of the gunfire confirmed that…then why only 7 bodies were there.

A soft clang drew her head up as she turned around abruptly to face Pixie making the girl jump and become frightened when Laura started to scream, "Pixie, behind you!"

Megan had no time to react as she felt her throat being grabbed with a strong forearm. She placed her small hands on the invisible constrictor and looked at Laura with pleading eyes.

"You should have paid more attention to our numbers, sweetheart." Said a disembodied voice

Laura then heard the lever of a handgun being pulled down meaning the invisible man was pointing a gun at either Laura…or Pixie.

* * *

><p>The silence outside the room was beginning to drive Null mad. He was not used to being left alone for this length of time. His wounds had now completely healed and he expected Caduceus to walk inside to introduce some new form of torture, but he never came and with that explosion earlier he was suspecting that the base was under attack or something.<p>

If it was many questions popped into his head. Who was it? A rival competitor of A.I.M? or something more?

Whatever the reason this was his chance to escape, but he had no idea how he was going to do that.

As this pessimistic thought came into his mind he focused forward when the door leading inside was blown off and went sliding across the floor. Tense from this development he knew he was helpless against anyone coming inside to harm him.

With this mindset it was a shock when he saw who walked through. It was the boy who would not leave him alone in the Institute and constantly called the two "brothers" as if he could have a twat like him as a blood relative. With him was a boy he had never seen before with blonde hair, an average build, and blue eyes.

What made their appearance even more stunning were the outfits they were wearing, which they should have been shot for putting on, literally, it was bright yellow with black accents on the outer portion of the body, such a uniform was asking, no, begging for attention and in a base such as this attention was normally given in the form of a bullet.

The boy named Jaqueris stood before Null looking into his eyes as if he wasn't sure he was real or not. His gawking made Null sneer at him but for some reason he didn't break the eye contact, not at first anyway.

"_What's their game, what do they want from me?" _he internalized

Seeing that he would have to break this staring contest Null said, "Are you gonna kill me or just keep ogling me all day?"

Nova raised his eyebrow at this, "Why would I kill you?"

This time Null did the same expression which made Elixir draw a comparison between the physical similarities between the two. Ja'Keyon had far more hair than Jaqueris which was a contrast between the low haircut of Nova, he didn't think A.I.M. gave prisoners haircuts, also his face looked younger than Jaqueris' and while similar there was also a distinctive difference letting someone know they were not twins but still brothers.

"So, you're not here to kill me? Then why did you come here?" he asked suspiciously

Nova answered by waving his hand causing the metal restraints holding Null to be thrown to the side. Null landed on his feet, but because he had been up there so long his legs weren't used to be used and buckled a little.

"To save you. Maria helped us do it." Nova said

Null stood up and rubbed his wrists, it felt good to not have those metal braces digging into his skin anymore, the name of Maria caught his attention.

"What makes you think I need saving?" countered Null

Nova crossed his arms and perked the corner of his mouth, "You were tied to a wall in nothing but some black spandex underwear, I think that warrants a rescue."

Null narrowed his eyes at that logic but he would never admit the boy was right, "Speaking of spandex, what is that get up you two are wearing? I'm surprised you made it this far without being capped." He said critically

This made Elixir and Nova examine their uniforms closer now finding the bright yellow color uneven with what they were trying to accomplish, "We're X-men, and this is the uniform we wear." Said the boy behind Jaqueris

Null looked at the boy with a pitying shake of the head, "That's all nice and well, but I prefer my own clothes. Can you get the light?" he asked pointing up

"Oh yeah, Jaqueris, I think it's time." Said Josh

Nova nodded and Null gave him a wary look, "Time for what?" he asked

Nova didn't answer and placed his finger on the inside of his ear touching the earpiece, "Maria, I'm about to set off the EMP, do you know where everyone is?"

Null observed him as Nova seemed to nod even though no one was answering him with the acronym "EMP" catching his attention.

"_They had something like that with them?"_ he thought

"Okay, then, I'd better hurry." Jaqueris said aloud

With that Jaqueris held his hand and a soft green light illuminated from his palm, Null recognized it as gamma irradiation and the fact that it was visible meant that it was an extremely powerful dose. As the light came to life it died down just as quickly.

For a moment nothing happened and Null wondered if he was just a farce until the lights in the room went black. Not only in the room but every electronic device that wasn't protected was shut down in the base. Null could hear the power as it died down and could only imagine what else was happening around the base.

* * *

><p>Caduceus watched the screen with an unreadable expression, the two boys had survived the gas chamber and the Facility by product had managed to kill most of the guards sent after her, but she now had to contend with a hostage situation. The clawed mutant and the other woman had their hands full with the relentless Adaptoid.<p>

He watched as Wolverine in his burnt uniform struggled to hold back the UV rays and knew he could keep it up for long. Drawing his attention back to Null's cell he watched as the boy put his hand in the air with a green light emanating from it.

"_It can't be."_ He thought in disbelief

The next thing he knew the computer screens turned dark as all light from the screen and the room they were in were stripped of their power. Caduceus stood in the darkness his eye still on that screen which moments ago contained Null's visage.

"Sir, what do we do now?" asked Harkness from behind in the darkness

Caduceus did not look at him because he knew that it would be meaningless in this blackness, "We fall back on Plan B. Bring Lysander with us." He said

* * *

><p>Laura stared at Pixie's petrified face as she held her hands a few inches away from her neck looking like a professional mime. Her own face stayed calm and unchanging despite the predicament she was in which unnerved the invisible man quite a bit.<p>

"Let her go and I kill you quickly." Said Laura it was an attempt at what Logan had called "mercy" a concept she did not fully grasp

The man turned up his un-seeable nose at the girl's arrogance as he pointed the gun at her, "Sorry, bitch, but I don't think so."

Laura internally sighed, she had tried, looking down she caught the silver glint of a blue steel handgun not too far from her belonging to one of the soldiers. She could get to it in a little over 2 seconds, but two seconds would be all the man needed to end Megan's life.

She met the eyes of the Welsh girl and tried to communicate what she wanted her to do.

"If you let her go, I am going to kill you. If you shoot her, I am **still **going to kill you. The only questions that remain are the time and manner of your death, make your choice." Laura said calmly

The man bit his bottom lip, he was no fool he saw how this seemingly harmless girl had made mincemeat out of a team of heavily armed men and he knew that he couldn't kill her with this gun. He looked down as the small girl he was holding, but that doesn't mean he couldn't take someone with him.

He was about to turn his gun on Pixie when he felt a surge run through his body. It was warm and centered on his shoulder wear the stealth camo was located and at the same time the sound of the multiple ventilators running ceased as well as the light shining below the floor going black.

He looked at his hand and saw that he…he was now visible.

"Pixie now!" ordered Laura

The next thing the man felt was the painful brunt of the little girl's head ramming back into his nose. He let go of her and stumbled his mind now bent on revenge.

Now free Megan flew to the ground and covered her head. Laura seeing her cue dived forward and fell with her hand on the gun she spotted earlier. Grabbing it she took aim as the man gathered himself and aimed his own gun.

She couldn't make out his entire face, but she could see the fear and realization as his eyes widened.

_Bang! Bang!_

Two rounds hit him square in the chest causing him to fall backwards on the floor dead. Laura heard Pixie whimpering on the ground so she rose up and walked over to her.

She kneeled down beside her, the girl was obviously shaken and Laura uncharacteristically gave her a moment before saying, "Pixie, it is time, Nova has set off the EMP which means we only possess 25 minutes before the back up generators repower the base.

Getting into a sitting position Pixie continued to look ahead while taking in deep breaths.

Sucking in one last breath of air and subsequently exhaling she looked up at X-23, "Okay, I'm ready."

Danielle looked on as the bright white light continued to push Wolverine back towards her. He had managed to keep them at bay for an impressive amount of time but she could see it was wearing him down. The gloves of his costume had completely burned away revealing his now red skin a result of the UV rays.

The Adaptoid kept inching closer and closer to Logan until Wolverine was forced to stand his ground because he was right in front of Danielle. Now he couldn't move away because that would lead to Danielle being vaporized, but staying in the path of the eye beams wasn't good for his health either.

With another step the Adaptoid was now only 2 feet in front of Wolverine the beams intensity was so great now that even Mirage could feel their heat from behind her Canadian protector. Being so close meant the attack was at its strongest and she didn't know how much longer the Canuckle could hold on.

Then suddenly providence occurred. The Adaptoid stopped firing of its lasers and became frozen in place like a statue. The green features it had copied from Wolverine began to disappear to be replaced by a steely silver color.

The robot returned to its original form resembling the Silver Surfer and stood motionless. Logan lowered his claws giving a clear view of his tomato red face and even redder eyes. The better portion of the right side of his mask was burnt way leaving the wing as the only surviving piece of his mask.

Another thing noticeable about him was that his adamantium claws were now glowing white hot from the heat that they had been bombarded with. Danielle could even see ripples of heat air rise from them. But his appearance had nothing to do with how he was feelings, his teeth were bared dangerously, his shoulders rose up and down at a steady pace, and Mirage could even hear his angry breathing.

"Raarrrggghhh!" the feral mutant yelled as he raised his clawed hand and swiped it through the air

The Adaptoid's head flew upwards before being pulled down by gravity to the earth making a metallic clunk once it fell.

Mirage looked at the one responsible, she knew of Wolverine's legendary berserker rages, the damage he could cause, and she was in no rush to find out if they were fiction or not. She just watched him as his breathing leveled out and he calmed himself down.

Letting out one long exasperated breath Logan spoke, "Nova and Elixir, must have gotten the kid and set off the EMP because I can't contact Maria and plus our friend here stopped working."

"Couldn't it be that you cut off its head?" she reminded

Wolverine shrugged apparently returned to his normal self and turned to Danielle allowing her to see the damage he had sustained in his clothing. His chest area was mostly burned away, his mask was all but gone save for the wing on his head, and his gloves were burned away all the way down to his elbow. She could only imagine how painful it was to endure all of that while all she got was a broken leg and a moderate burn on her back.

"_Thank god for his healing factor." _She thought

"Can you walk?" asked Logan

Mirage nodded her head, "No, it's broken." She informed him

Nodding Logan picked her up bridal style something that took her by complete surprise wincing when his hand rubbed against her back, "Be gentle." She said hitting him across the head

He gave her a cocky smirk and said, "I always am darlin'."

Looking behind him at the behead Adaptoid; she didn't know if he was telling an outright lie or if this was his idea of gentle.

* * *

><p>Null, Nova, and Elixir stood in the dark just after Nova had set off and EMP to cripple the base electronically. Null could feel his lost strength return to him in a flurry, "What now?" he asked<p>

Nova held up his finger and a blue light sprang up from the tip of his finger, though small it was bright enough to allow the three boys to be seen; "Now we regroup with the others and get out of here."

"Let me change first." After this was said black smoke covered his body and moved like it was alive, when it dissipated Null was now wearing a tight black t-shirt, grey, white, and black camo pants or urban camo, and a pair of combat boots."

Null and Elixir looked baffled at this application of his power, "If you could do that, then why not make a key to your cuffs and get out?" asked Josh

Null gave him an annoyed look, "One, they weren't that kind of cuffs and two I can only make stuff of which I know the exact composition of and apparently I have this cool new black smoke to go along with it."

Josh looked at Jaqueris who did the same, "We have to rendezvous with the others." Said Nova

Nova and Elixir walked past Null and headed for the doorway but stopped when they saw he wasn't following.

"What are you doing?" asked Nova a little annoyed

Null gave him a serious look, "No, you two have to rendezvous with the others, I have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What?" said Nova stepping towards him like only a big brother could, "We came all this way to get you and now you want to stay?"

Null looked him straight in the eye unblinkingly, "Yes, I have someone I want to kill."

"Who?" asked Josh

Nova gave him a glare for encouraging such an action but listened as his brother spoke, "Caduceus, brown hair, glasses; I'm going to kill him. It's his fault I was put on that wall like some kind of freak." The more he spoke the more his body showed signs of anguish

Nova eyed his brother, he had considered what must have been done to him inside this base, but by his reaction he could tell it was worse than he could even imagine. Walking forward Nova placed his hand on Null's shoulder, "This Caduceus guys sounds like the guy who put me and Elixir in that gas chamber. That means he's after us, so you have more of a chance of getting to him if you stick with us." He bargained

Null noticed the logic in this, and surprised himself by not breaking the boys arm for touching him, if this group had managed to survive this far into A.I.M.'s base then that probably didn't sit well with Caduceus and he would be looking to correct their breathing problem.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but once we find Caduceus. He. Is. Mine." Null said with determination

Nodding Nova turned back to Elixir who had a worried expression on his face, but he did not voice his concern.

* * *

><p>Laura placed the covering of the main ventilation system back in place. Now that Pixie had deposited the required amount of dust inside their assignment was complete and it was time to regroup with Wolverine and the others.<p>

"It is time to go." She said standing up

She walked past the bodies without a second glance something that contrasted greatly with Megan who had to close her eyes slightly so as to not take in the all of the gore surrounding her. Arriving at the elevator Laura unsheathed her claws and placed them in between the crease in the doorway.

Pulling it open she hesitated and looked down the long dark shaft to find that the wire that would be connected to the elevator had snapped. She could tell that it had not been cut but rather…broken as if the weight in the elevator was too much.

Pixie came up behind her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The explosion that occurred previously, it destroyed the mine beneath this base." She turned to find Megan's face filled with shock, "We cannot return the way we came." She stated

"Then how are we supposed to get out of here?" she asked getting nervous

Laura turned back towards the elevator and looked inside; she actually had no planned course of action. They knew that the EMP would knock out their communications with the Gale woman, but they had planned to return to the elevators to escape, but that plan was not applicable now.

"We must find Wolverine and the others." She said jumping inside the shaft and began climbing, Pixie having no other choice flapped her wings and began to follow.

* * *

><p>Wolverine climbed further up the dark shaft of the elevator system, the dark didn't bother him however due to his enhanced senses he could see clearly in the blackness like it was clear as day. He had more pressing matters anyway as the arms wrapped around his neck showed that Mirage was latched onto his back as he carried her towards the top of the elevator shaft.<p>

"You know you're heavier than you look." He quipped to the woman behind him

She gave him a glare that bored into the back of his skull, "Shut up and keep climbing." She said

Chuckling he looked back up and spotted the elevator door above them open up. A few minutes later Laura jumped out and proceeded to climb followed by Pixie flying behind her.

"Pixie! X-23! Down here!" he called up to them

The two stopped momentarily at the sound of their codenames being called and looked down. Megan could not see a thing, but Laura spotted Wolverine with Mirage across his back.

The hallway leading back to the elevator was as dark as any other area of the base at the moment. Arriving at the door, Nova prepared to pry it open and killed the light on his finger.

"I hope we don't run into something else that…" Just as he said this Nova opened the elevator door magnetically and a hand grabbed the edge of the door.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" screamed Josh with a surprisingly girly pitch earning him a look from both Null and Nova who remained calm because they recognized the hand

Josh looked at the two boys and said, "Don't tell anyone I did that."

Nova crouched down and grabbed the hand of X-23 and pulled her inside. "Good, to see you guys are okay." He said looking into her green eyes

"I feel the same way." Laura said looking behind Nova to find that he and Josh now had a third companion. Null gave her a sharp look still remembering the part she played in capturing him at the Institute.

Soon Megan flew up behind Laura and stood beside Jaqueris right after her Logan arrived carrying Mirage on his back, "Oh my God, you guys are okay!" she said pulling Nova into a tight hug

Null observed that Laura turned away from this and crinkled her nose as if in disgust.

"_Interesting." He thought_

Everyone present observed Wolverine's destroyed uniform and the injured state of Danielle's leg and the noticeable burn on her back.

"Holy crap, what happened to you guys?" asked Josh

Logan propped Mirage against the wall and turned to the others, "No time to explain, kid, just heal Mirage so we can get out of here."

Offering no further words Elixir knelt down beside his mentor and placed his hand on her leg. While Josh was healing Mirage X-23 spoke up, "The mine below this base is destroyed, we have no other route of escape."

"Yeah, I figured as much and we contact Gale to find another way out." Said Wolverine putting his hand under his chin

The group went silent for a moment as they reflected on this. Null looked at some of their downed faces and wondered if they were attempting to play a bad prank or something. The boy was done healing the Native American woman's leg allowing her to stand.

"Are you guys serious?" he asked causing all of their eyes to turn to him "I know this place like the back of my hand. There's a hanger below that holds all of A.I.M.'s vehicles, jeeps, choppers you name it. Plus the ground based ones are equipped with sensors so we won't have to worry about setting off the mines."

No one said anything at first obviously kicking themselves for not asking the one person who was very familiar with this base on where they should be headed.

Finally Wolverine said, "Alright, but we have to be quick, I think we only have ten maybe 14 minutes until the backup kicks in. Lead the way kid."

Without further talking Null got at the forefront of the group and led them towards what would hopefully be their escape route. They went down a flight of stairs that led deeper and deeper into the base.

Soon enough they came to a large door that looked like it belonged in a vault.

"Okay, do your thing. The power's out so I can't open this from here." Said Null tapping the door

Knowing he was being referred to Nova put out his arms and magnetically gripped the large circular door. It was heavy, but good thing he wasn't trying to lift it only…

_Boom!_

Was the sound the door made as not only it but a good section of the wall it was attached to was sent flying backwards. The door landed and skidded across the ground.

"That was real subtle, you know!" said Null sarcastically looking at his handy work

Ignoring his brother's criticism they followed him inside and for some reason the hair on Nova's neck stood up on end. It was very dark but Nova could make out a plethora of vehicles present such as jeeps and what appeared to be a plane.

Null moved throughout the hangar as if it was as clear as day seemingly having no problem navigating in the dark.

"So, tell me how you did it?" asked Null

Nova turned to where his voice came from and said, "What do you mean?"

Null gave him a strange look in the dark, "How you neutralized all the guards in this base without the huge body count? I'm curious."

"What are you talking about, we barely ran into anyone on the way here." He said

Null stopped walking causing Nova to almost run into him. He just stood there a look of disbelief on his face.

"Why did you stop walking?" asked Nova

"Because, if you didn't take out the guards then that means they have to be…"

_Bang!_

A gunshot ripped followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Everyone quickly gathered around tightly, Nova activated his night vision and looked around to see if everyone was alright. He spotted Elixir, Mirage, Null, and finally X-23 and Wolverine who were looking down at something.

"No…" he said as he realized who it was

Lying on the ground with a puddle of blood beginning to form was…Megan. Not listening to his instincts Nova ran towards her but stopped when a red dot appeared on his chest. Looking at his source another appeared on his head and another on his shoulder and another until nearly every inch of his body were covered from head to toe in red dot sights.

He looked around and found everyone else with similar dots on their bodies in vary quantities.

"Caduceus." Nova heard Null say voice full of spite

He turned around and spotted the same man who had sprung Null from his prison at Xavier's but more importantly beside him was a man in his late 40's with graying hair holding a smoking rifle.

"Please, don't make a move, bullet ridden corpses are so hard to make viewable again." He said in a haughty tone

Nova didn't care to hear his words because in his eyes he was only one thing to him…a target.

* * *

><p>I know I said this would be the finale, but come on 27 pages is enough content for one chapter. I know you guys are getting tired of my lying, but I promise you next chapter will be the last in this Brotherhood arc.<p> 


	26. Brotherhood Conclusion Part 3

**Brotherhood Conclusion Part 3**

* * *

><p>The band of mutants known as the X-Men stood as still as statues with their hands rose in the air. They had done so because the sound of cocking of guns, sounding akin to a band of some sort, the normal sighted members of the group could not visually see the danger they were now in.<p>

But thanks to their enhanced eyesight X-23, Wolverine, Nova, and Null could plainly see the odds that were now stacked against them.

"_How in the hell could I miss all these bodies? Old age must be catching up to me." _Logan denounced

The century old mutant was referring to the fact that they were **literally** surrounded by operatives of A.I.M. The massive catwalks of the hanger were lined with armed guards, decked out in either their usual yellow beehive attire or more modern black military style uniforms, and all their weapons were trained in the on the X-men, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

There were too many guns for Nova to even hope of blocking half their bullets much less all of them. He also thought that even with Wolverine and X-23 on their side it would be tough if not damn near impossible to take out the sheer number of soldiers. Not to mention that not everyone on their team possessed a healing factor, even if they did manage to attack without being shot down immediately, Elixir, Mirage, and Nova would no doubt be killed by the hail of fire.

The enormous storage place was brim with silence as the deadlock seemed to sap the very sound from the voices of everyone inside until…

"Well, talk about being under a microscope!" said a gleeful voice approaching them with Harkness at his side who was equipped with night vision goggles.

The ones that could see him turned too looked at him with a varying range of emotions. Wolverine looked at him with slight annoyance while X-23 showed apathy towards him, the most distinct looks he was getting, however, came from the two brothers, Null and Nova.

Null's jaw line was as tight as a pit bull's giving his expression one of indifference or serenity, but that was merely a façade for the torrent of emotions he was feeling on the inside. The man who had put him through so much, who had attempted to break him down mentally and physically, was standing just a few feet away from him and he couldn't even place a hand on him…so that he could strangle him.

"_Irony is really a bitch!" _ He thought vengefully

Nova was eyeing him with a different type of anger, more righteous if you will. Beyond a shadow of a doubt he knew that this man was indirectly responsible for gunning down Megan, who was lying on the floor behind them all, bleeding out silently and eyes closed. He would have given anything to run to her and see if she was still breathing, but he knew that if he so much as sneezed he would be massacred along with his friends destroying any chance of saving her.

That was why he was looking at Caduceus with poisonous hatred, hatred so palpable that he was level with Null in a sense of scale.

The Greek stopped and eyed the X-men studiously, "I must say I'm impressed, not only did you manage to sneak inside this base, but you were able to overcome the little trials I placed for you, including the Adaptoid." He said the last part looking at the battle-torn outfit of Wolverine.

He then walked past Null and Nova, which tested the two's willpower as they fought not to kill him on the spot, stopping above Megan he looked down at her with perked lips.

"Such a pity, she was such a cute little girl and I'm sure full of life and some other nonsense." He then kneeled down beside her and placed his hand on the side of her cheek which was rapidly losing warmth.

"Don't touch her!" commanded Nova as he turned towards the man and made a motion for him, but the cock of the gun from Harkness froze him in place.

Caduceus looked over his shoulder at the seething youth, "I see you seem to favor this one. In that case."

The sadistic scientist reared back his foot and kicked the limp body of the defenseless Welsh girl. The apathy that X-23 felt for him was now replaced with a bitter loathing for he was now in the same category as the men who created her and treated her as if she was less than nothing. Wolverine expressed his opinion in an audible growl. This was just another reason for Null to kill Caduceus, but Nova's reaction was the most extreme…and the most foolhardy.

He lunged at the man, completely forgetting about the multitude of weapons aimed at him, intending to murder him. Anticipating this Caduceus reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver handgun.

_Bang!_

Nova was so steeped in his fury that he didn't think to deflect the projectile, but luckily for him X-23 had the awareness to push him out of the way and take the fire for him. Falling to the ground he expected blood to fall to the floor and seep through her fingers, but was surprised when all he spotted was a dart in Laura's shoulder.

"_A tranquilizer?"_ he thought

"X-23, are you okay?" questioned Logan

The random shuffling and sound of gunfire made Elixir and Mirage even more anxious as they still could not see what was happening within inches of them.

"Wolverine, what's going on?" asked Mirage

Logan kept his eyes trained on Caduceus with his teeth bare and eyes sparkling with disdain, "X-23's been shot." He explained

Even though they were still as blind as a bat, the two mutants could make out faint outlines of body's and chose the one that matched Laura's slender figure to oogle.

Caduceus smiled before lowering his gun, "Don't worry, I don't think you have to worry about her dying from any gunshot wound, however…."

A heavy thud was heard as X-23 fell to the floor, her skin suddenly pale as she began to shiver slightly. Caduceus walked over to her and leaned over her like he did Pixie before her he then removed the dart from her shoulder, "This is not a bullet, but a mutant suppressing agent. For those who possess a rudimentary vocabulary that means that this dart shuts down mutant powers temporarily."

If the others could see the face that Logan was making they would have thought he was slipping into another berserker rage, he now joined Null and Nova as a person who wanted to see the man dead.

"This doesn't bode well for the girl however. Without a healing factor those adamantium claws are like poison to her." He then placed his hand under his chin and shook his head, "Still, this is one of our competitor's greatest achievements, besides the original of course" he shot Wolverine a look, "and I think the Director would be extremely grateful if I delivered her to him."

He then made a head motion and a soldier appeared that picked the shivering Laura up bridal style, her head hung limply over his arm causing her long ebony hair to fall near the floor.

Caduceus stood up with a smug grin obviously content, "Harkness, let's prep the helicopter shall we." He looked down at Nova, while the soldier nodded and walked away into the darkness and said, "That was a clever idea to release an EMP inside the base, but I don't know if Null told you this or not, but our vehicles are protected from such an attack."

Nova stared at him with contempt with strengthened when all he got in return was that facetious grin. Caduceus then turned to Null and said, "Don't worry, Null, I'll return shortly and we can continue our little game and guess what your brother will be joining you this time."

The meaning behind these words was lost to Nova, but Null and Caduceus understood completely what they entailed and it made Null shoot Cad a vicious glare.

As Caduceus and Null stared at one another the sound of a very large door opening made the mutants turn to the left as the metallic entrance slid away the luminous light of the rising sun through illuminating the entire hangar. This allowed Elixir and Mirage to take in the multitude of enemies before them as well as show the myriad of jeeps, four wheelers, cycles, and now that the door was open a sleek black helicopter waiting on a helipad.

"Well, it has been entertaining, but I'm afraid I must bid you adieu." He said increasing the dramatic cheesiness by bowing, rising up he looked back into the hateful eyes of Null, "Oh and no teleporting or we'll kill your friends. But I'd like to give you something before I go." He snapped his fingers

Null didn't know if he was joking or using this as a setup for one of his cruel idea of what a joke was.

A soldier came up behind Null and he was holding someone at gunpoint that had their hands tied behind their back. Null could tell the man had been beaten, as if his limp wasn't enough, he had multiple cuts which were still bleeding, and purple bruises formed on his skin. However despite his swollen features Null could still make out the face.

"Lysander!" he said aloud

The guard then shoved the doctor to the ground causing him to let out a grunt as he hit the floor. Null knelt down beside him and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Yes, that is my sorry excuse for a brother. He tried to help you escape, but unfortunately I caught wind of his plan." Caduceus said all too proudly

Null closed his hand at the sorry state that his friend was in and he felt his loathing for Caduceus grow exponentially looking at the non swollen eye of Lysander the scientist managed to say, "S…sorry…kid, guess I should've thought this through more huh."

Null gave him a concerned look and it took every fiber of his being not to turn around and shoot Caduceus in the head. He didn't care if he didn't survive or not, he just wanted that man dead.

"That really is touching, you know. I hope you are able to get your goodbyes in Lee because Null is going back to his cell and you….well I'm sure you can figure that one out."

As he turned to walk away the soldier carrying Laura followed, Null, Nova, and Wolverine barreled holes in his back. Once they were a certain distance away two guards came up behind Null and Nova pushing them in the back with their weapons.

"Come on, let's move!" ordered one of them

Begrudgingly, the two brothers did as they were told. Once they were a certain distance away Nova half-turned to his brother and whispered, "Ja'Keyon, that guy said you can teleport, right?"

Null looked at him for a split second before turning back to look forward, "So? Are you asking me to save your hide?"

"No, just everyone else's, in a few seconds something is going to happen. When it does I want you to get everyone out of here including Pixie." He said

Null eyed the boy suspiciously this plan was sounding like the setup for a kamikaze, "What makes you think I can pull something like that? I mean I'm not too experienced with these new powers of mine and even if I was why would I want to save any of you? I just want to kill that asshole Caduceus."

Nova stopped walking and turned to his brother which bewildered the guards and Null alike, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" said one of the escorts

Placing his hand on Null's shoulder Nova said, "I believe in you. And besides if you can get the others out of here, then I **promise** you that you will get your chance with Caduceus."

Null stared into his eyes as he said this and a light feeling came over him, and for some odd reason he felt like he didn't want to let Nova down. This was strange in and of itself because he barely knew the guy, but pushing it out of his mind he nodded.

"Alright."

"Are we just going to let them go?" asked Elixir being careful not to move from his spot, he wasn't as confident as Nova to make any sudden movements but he still able to express his displeasure.

"You got any better idea, kid?" said Wolverine gruffly

Elixir frowned; he would have expected the senior X-man to be a bit more unsettled at having his sister/daughter being carried away by some creep of a scientist to God knows where to do God knows what.

"Calm down, Elixir, we planned for this, remember? It should happen in just a moment." Alerted Mirage

Elixir thought both of his teachers had lost their minds until the lights in the hangar sprung to life stinging the eyes of the young teenager. Apparently this took many of the hardened soldiers by surprise as Josh noticed the several of them looked around in disbelief at the fact that power had been restored.

"Now!" ordered Nova

Taking his hand from Null's shoulder he pointed it at the two soldiers and repelled them with his gravity powers throwing them into the air. Seeing his chance Null made a mad dash towards Wolverine and the others.

"You three grab each other now!" he yelled

The soldiers caught onto what was happening very quickly and were preparing to fire, remembering that they could not kill Null, but the others were fair game.

"What is that kid doing?" inquired Mirage lowering her arms

"Don't know, but I think we should do what he says." Replied Logan grabbing Elixir's arm and using his other hand to grab the collar of the defeated scientist on the floor beside him.

Josh followed suit by placing his arm on the shoulder of Danielle. He turned his head at the sound of the host of weapons that were now being cocked and holstered ready to bring them down, "Uh guys, do we have a plan B?"

Just as he asked this the sound of the ventilation system coming online was heard as the sound of blowing air filled the hangar. What differentiate air however was that it was accompanied by sparkling pink dust that fell towards the floor.

Once again the guards were distracted by these particles falling towards them, most of them mistook it for a nerve agent but luckily a portion of them had on their beehive helmets, but some of them had no head protection and breathed in the dust.

Grateful for this disruption Null hit a baseball dive and slid on his knees across the floor towards the X-men. Placing his shoulder on the shoulder of the unconscious pink-haired girl he looked up at the Native American woman and reached for her. Danielle responded by extending her own hand.

"_Hope this works." _He thought as he wasn't too sure he could teleport this many people, when he did it the first time he wasn't even conscious of it as it was more of a reflexive action. The only thing he could recount from that experience was his intense desire to get out of the A.I.M. base and be free.

In an instant the five mutants disappeared in a puff of black smoke making Nova smile and confusing the soldiers. They had been ordered to kill everyone besides Null and his brother, but now that he and the other mutants had disappeared that order was null and void (no pun intended).

The only one left was the teenaged brother of Null who was standing in the middle of the hangar as if waiting for something. Null raised a shield around him that would protect him from the effects of Pixie's dust, but the A.I.M. operatives were not so lucky. He looked around as the dust fell over those without protection, they wiped their eyes and blinked several times to try and clear it from their orbs.

"_It shouldn't be long now."_ He thought

The soldiers on the ground that Null had knocked down stood up, ready to dish out some punishment, one had on the yellow NBC suit so he was immune to the dust hanging in the air, but his friend did not only having on the military style uniform but no head gear.

"Come on, we've gotta…" he was cut off by the face his comrade was making, his eyes were bulging and he was swiping away at thin air with his weapon.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" asked the mentally balanced A.I.M. operative as he was unaware that his fellow soldier was hallucinating

"Don't you see it, these damn lights won't go away and their blocking my vision." The man answered

Cocking his brow, his attention was drawn to the rafters where the bulk of the security force for this base was located. Several of them seemed to be suffering from the same bout of psychosis, they began swinging their arms or knives at invisible targets, some were yelling at nothing shouting "Go away" or "Leave me alone".

"_What the hell is going on here?" _he thought

Nothing serious occurred that made the soldier worried beyond the fact that this seemed to be a mass hallucination until…

_Pow!_

A lone soldier fired his handgun, the bullet striking a fellow comrade in the arm.

"Aargh! What's your problem?" said the soldier holding his bleeding arm

His attacker said nothing as he pointed his shaking gun eyes wide. Angry at not being given an explanation as to why he'd been shot the soldier snapped. Forgetting his pain he lunged at the man and punched him square in the jaw.

Nova observed as several cases like this sprung up around the hangar. Megan's power was causing everyone who didn't have on a mask to flip out and attack their hallucinations and fortunately their innocent partners were being caught in the crossfire. This was good, it would be that much easier for him to release some pent up aggression.

He clinched his fist as he thought about Megan's bloodied form laying on the ground his anger rising with each passing second. Gritting his teeth a yellow light began to emit from his body as electricity began to surge outwards from him.

* * *

><p>Caduceus had watched the events unfold before him, Null, his brother's, and the X-men's disappearance was quite disturbing plus the fact that Null's brother seemed to have willingly stayed behind gave him a sense of foreboding. Not to mention the commotion that the hysterical guards were causing as they turned on one another.<p>

"Harkness, are we prepared to leave?" he asked politely

The older man raised his hand from behind the cockpit signaling a "Yes", to his side was another soldier acting as his copilot. After this the blades of the helicopter began to spin until each individual blade became indistinguishable from the other. The aircraft lifted into the air slowly as it began to take off.

Caduceus sat back into his seat and sighed, looking to his left on the floor was the writhing floor of X-23. Calmly he said, "Don't worry, the serum only lasts about 20 minutes, so your healing factor isn't permanently gone, but lucky for you" he opened the breast of his coat to reveal and open case holding at least 20 small darts "I have plenty of ammo."

Through her pain Laura managed to eye him long enough to convey the message that if she ever got the chance she would kill him…slowly.

Nova spotted the helicopter about to take off and raised his hand to take hold of it with his powers, but the sound of a gunshot ripping through the air made him drop his concentration. Blood ran down his cheek showing where the bullet had grazed him, turning around he faced the guard from before who was still aiming his gun at him.

"_Dammit, I don't have time for this!"_ he thought angrily

The guard opened fire with his automatic M4 expecting the bullets to rip into the body of the boy. Imagine his shock when his fire hit an impenetrable shield, knowing what could happen if he stopped he continued to fire, the bullet cartridges hitting the ground with small clangs, he continued with his assault until the gun no longer produced anymore bullets.

Pulling the trigger in incredulity, he looked and saw that every bullet fired was hanging in the air. Remembering his training, he quickly ejected the empty clip and began to insert another.

Nova was not trained by the military but he knew not to allow the enemy the chance to counter attack so he allowed the bullets to hit the floor. The yellow light still surrounding him, he pointed his finger at the man as blue electricity danced around his finger. The man had succeeded in inserting another clip, but he would never get the chance to use it.

A straight and lightning quick beam of yellow light shot from Nova's hand striking the gun and melting its muzzle into a puddle of black metal. Nova stripped him of his weapon with a wave of his hand sending the rifle flying into a corner.

Then he pushed his other hand forward picking up the metal floor beneath them, a long strip wrapped around the man and tightened effectively restraining him.

He now turned his attention to the remaining soldiers, no matter how powerful or angry he was he was still greatly outnumbered, so he would have to defeat them all in one shot.

* * *

><p>Null, Wolverine, Mirage, Elixir, Lysander, and the limp body of Pixie fell to the snowy ground beneath them.<p>

"Ooofff…man I gotta work on my landings." Said Null standing up in the snow

He turned to see the other mutants moving towards the pink haired girl completely forgetting to thank the one who saved them in the first place, "Elixir, you need to hurry she's lost a lot of blood already." Said Mirage holding up Megan's head

"On it." The boy replied and he knelt down beside the fairy girl and placed his hand on her shoulder and released the healing energies he contained, but something was different this time. Usually the power would leave his body and flow into whoever he was trying to heal, but for some strange reason it was being blocked. It felt like some kind of wall was preventing his healing powers from taking effect.

"Elixir, what's wrong?" asked Mirage

"I don't know for some reason my powers aren't working." He said desperately

Mirage grabbed the young boy's shoulders and made him face her, "Josh, are you telling me that you can't heal her?"

The young mutant stared into her orbs unsure of what to say next afraid that if he admitted it to himself then it would become true, but what else could he say besides, "I don't know, I'll keep trying."

As Wolverine stood over the girl his nose sniffed the air around them and once it caught a certain scent he felt a somber feeling weigh down on his heart. He had smelled it enough times to know what it meant and every time it belonged to someone who didn't deserve it he always cursed his super senses for giving him an early heads up on the status of an injured person before everyone else found out the hard truth.

Null looked at this scene without concern his part had been played now all he had to do was wait for Nova to show up and fulfill his promise, so focused on it was he that he wasn't even appreciative of the fact that he was now free. A groan to his left drew his attention to the ground to Lysander. He was face down in the snow; sighing Null knelt beside him and summoned a knife in his hand.

"That's something isn't it, you tried to save me and I'm the one to make sure you stayed alive." Said Null cutting the rope

He helped the older man into a sitting position and kept his hand on his back to ensure he didn't fall backwards. Surveying his injuries he saw that he had a swollen eye, cuts across his lips and forehead, and bruises on his neck and forehead.

"Man, they really did a number on you, huh? Maria will never go for you now." joked Null dryly

Giving him a weak chuckle Lysander said, "Where is she?"

Null looked at the group that was still hovering over the small girl in the snow, "Those guys probably know. By the way the next time you send someone to save me, make sure they know what they're doing."

Laughing harder this time, but grabbing his rib in pain from his chuckle Lysander asked, "You mind helping me up?"

Null did as he was asked and threw the man's arm over his neck as he supported him with his arms, "You've got a broken rib too." Informed Null

"I know. Where is your brother?" asked Lysander

Null wanted to drop him right there for calling the boy his brother and grimaced tightly at the supposed relation between them, "Since I don't have one I can't really answer that question."

Lysander gave him an unreadable expression, but said nothing.

The fast approaching sound of a helicopter filled their ears causing everyone to look upwards to spot the black helicopter that was located on the helipad at the base zoom over their heads. As it passed Null managed to catch the visage of Caduceus sitting comfortably inside the airliner.

"Caduceus!" said Null angrily

He then dropped Lysander, unceremoniously, and ran after the chopper with obsessive determination.

"Null! Where are you going?" called Lysander after him as he was quickly becoming an undistinguishable figure in the distance.

_Booooooooooooooooooooooomm!_

The rest of the X-man didn't have a chance to stop him as a loud noise which sounded like 200 tons of TNT exploding at once rocked the ground causing them to almost lose their balance. They all looked in the direction that they thought it originated from.

To confirm their suspicions a massive dome of yellowish orange rose into the sky, above the tall trees and into the clouds in the distance. The explosion was coming from the same direction the plane had flown from. As the magnificent blast rose in size they all could feel the heat from it even at this distance, it cast an imposing shadow of everything beneath it.

As it reached its apex a rushing sound followed the booming thunder of the explosion causing Wolverine to look forward. Trees, snow, and rocks were kicked into the air and thrown aside like playthings as the shockwave of the explosion moved towards them.

"Grab onto something!" he yelled out

His warning came too late however as the shockwave hit them with monstrous force sending Lysande into the air. Wolverine jammed his claws into the ground to prevent from suffering a similar fate, this anchor combined with his adamantium claws made sure he would not be overturned. The other X-men were not so lucky however Mirage still gripping Megan in her arms was lifted off of the ground and headed toward Logan.

Outstretching his arm Wolverine caught the two young women before they were blown away reining her in close to his chest she looked at him as he silently said, "You're welcome" with his eyes.

His heroic moment was ruined somewhat when Josh's body came crashing into him, the lad gave a weak "Sorry", but it could barely be heard over the roar of the rushing wind as it filled the ears of everyone.

Wolverine couldn't even look straight because the air friction prevented him from opening his eyes completely. Just when he thought he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer the bombardment of air ceased.

Logan let out a much needed breath as he tried to gather himself and took a look at the destruction surrounding him. The forest in their immediate vicinity had been destroyed; trees were either toppled or smashed into splinters, luckily the shockwave had passed over them, but he felt sorry for anyone that it had yet to hit.

* * *

><p>Null kept his eyes trained on the chopper in the air oblivious to what was in front of him. It didn't matter anyway, the way he was feeling he could probably run through a solid rock wall, he didn't know if it had to do with his adrenaline or the tissue of the Hulk in his brain, but he was experiencing a particularly acute runner's high.<p>

He would get Caduceus today if it killed him.

_Whoosh!_

Null was suddenly lifted off of his feet by an invisible force and pushed forward at incredible speed flipping in the air he could see the white snow below him as he was face planted.

Caduceus shot another dart into the body of X-23, before extracting it and throwing it out of the plane. So far they had gone through five, this girl's healing factor was amazing, and even though it was supposed to be suppressed it was still cutting the time it was supposed to be effective down to less than a third.

"I dare say you could out-heal Null." He said

Of course the girl did not answer as she was unconscious her hands bound behind her back with metal cuffs, the now poisonous metal in her bones being too much for her to bear. He eyed the girl's body taking in every curve, the smooth soft skin, the fine black hair, and her small frame; he did this non-sexually of course. By all outwards appearance this girl could pass as a normal teenager, she could blend into any situation and get close to her target without arousing suspicion until she could strike.

"They really have outdone themselves this time." Caduceus said referring to Weapon X

Looking at her he couldn't help but contrast Null and X-23. She was small and frail looking while he had an athletic build and looked like he would punch you in the face if you pissed him off. Also from her self-sacrificial move she showed that she cared for others while Null would probably sell out his own mother, if he knew he had one that is, but she wondered if that was because she knew conventional means could not kill her.

"Sir, our ETA is at 1600. Do we need to make a stop along the way so that you can restock on suppressants?" asked Harkness from the pilot's seat, he wasn't afraid of the girl, but he had seen what she was capable of and if she woke up and attacked them he knew she would have no problem crashing the plane with them still inside.

Caduceus put his hand over his breast pocket and felt the hard metallic case, "No, I have enough for that long just focus on…"

The helicopter rocked violently in the air causing Caduceus to grab onto the belt of his seat to prevent from falling from it. He knew this was more than just turbulence as it continued to shake and sway dangerously like a drunkard.

"Harkness, what's happening?" he asked

Harkness was trying to right the plane, but the controls were not responding. The various lights on the control panel flashed vividly before finally dying down.

"We're going to crash! Hang on!" alerted Harkness

* * *

><p>Nova floated in the air as he held a hand on his head, he was understandably tired from the display of power he just showed. Releasing that much energy consciously had almost completely spent him and it was becoming a task for him to stay afloat in the air.<p>

He considered just falling towards the ground, but looking down he quickly reconsidered. Below him was a crater at least two miles wide and so deep he couldn't see the bottom, the surrounding area had its snow melted away revealing black rock underneath, there was nothing left of the A.I.M. base that once stood there.

It had been utterly obliterated and a good portion of the forest surrounding it had been destroyed too. Looking at what he had done Nova's mind flashed back to the night he had destroyed his school, but even then the level of destruction was nowhere near the magnitude of this detonation.

"I hope the others weren't caught in this." He stated

Closing his eyes he activated his radar detection powers and searched for the signatures of his team. He found them quickly enough but he found that instead of there being five signatures…there was only three.

"No." he said opening his eyes

Forgetting his fatigue completely Nova zoomed off into the distance closing his eyes again he tried to sense those two signatures again, _"Come on, they can't be gone, they can't be!" _he repeated to himself

His sensory powers proved otherwise as he picked up only three signatures, "No! They can't be dead!" he almost screamed and at this point he was trying only to convince himself of what he was saying.

As he drew closer to his friend's position he gripped his fists and bit his bottom lip, "I swear if they are gone, then Caduceus or whatever his name is going…."

He stopped in mid-air as he gazed at everyone below him, his brother was nowhere in sight, but the scientist was present and he seemed to be in pain as he held his side gingerly. Elixir, Mirage, and Wolverine were all standing over someone…someone who Nova could not detect with his powers.

Nova landed behind everyone causing them to turn towards him all of their faces read as sadness especially Elixir who seemed to be taking the loss extra hard because he was unable to prevent it.

None of them were feeling what Nova was however at least not to the same degree, "_This isn't fair." _Hethought as he walked forward

By passing the others without saying a word he fell to his knees beside Megan's body, her hands hand been placed across her chest one atop the other and her eyes were closed. She actually looked very peaceful, almost like she was sleeping, which made it ironic that her peacefulness was causing so much strife to Jaqueris.

Picking her up and setting her head in his lap he felt the coldness of her skin it was a deep contrast to the normally warm and amiable personality she had that seemed able to brighten up anyone's day. He never told her that that was her most loveable quality.

He fought back the tears building up in his eyes, he didn't like to cry, who did? But there was no stopping them this time. A lone tear dropped down on Megan's cold cheek, "This isn't fair." He repeated to himself out loud

Wolverine knew what it felt like to lose someone you cared about, the pain was almost unbearable and the hole it caused was vast, it was only made worse by the fact that it had to happen to a kid like Jaqueris.

"_This ain't fair."_ He thought

Elixir was at his lowest at the moment, he had been unable to heal Megan and now because of that she was…gone. He lowered his head as his confidence took a dip, _"How am I supposed to be the healer of the X-men, if I can't even heal? It's not fair!"_

A sympathetic hand was placed on Josh's shoulder; he looked up to see it was Danielle with a sorrowful gaze on her face. In his self-loathing he had almost forgotten, that Danielle and Logan had also lost a student today.

Lysander took in the somber scene before him; he had never wanted anyone to be hurt on this mission only that Null be saved, but he should have known better. He should have waited until a more opportune time, when children weren't involved, and now because of his impatience someone had lost their life and a young girl at that.

Stepping forward Lysander was about to place his hand on Nova's shoulder until, "Don't touch me!" said Nova

The scientist withdrew his hand because of the dangerous tone in his voice and even though he had not yelled he could tell the boy was serious, "I know you weren't directly responsible for this, but still…" his voice began to crack as more tears fell down onto Megan's face "it doesn't matter because Megan is dead!"

Clinching his fists he was too stricken with guilt to speak, but he still knew that even though it was true he had not directly killed the girl, he still had a hand in it because he was a part of the organization that was responsible.

"Y…you know this is my fault too, people die because I'm not strong enough to protect them, it's only now...that I realize it."

Nova covered his face as he grieved further.

She couldn't see, her mind was hazy like she'd been drugged…heavily in fact. She couldn't even form a thought as a result of her mind being so clouded. Then she heard it, a light sound, a sound she couldn't distinguish.

She tried to sit up but there seemed to be a great weight on her chest preventing her from moving. When she tried opening her eyes it was like she had them stapled shut as they refused to open. There was that sound again.

"_What is that?"_ she thought

She heard it once more, _"It sounds so sad…but familiar."_

Something fell on her cheek, it was wet.

"_Was someone crying?"_

Another tear fell onto her face confirming her suspicion, _"I wonder why they're crying, did they lose something? If they did it must be really important."_

"Megan."

She heard a voice say, it was husky and full of grief as it said her name. But why was that?

"_Did I do something to hurt them? I have to know why they are crying for me."_

With that Megan began to slowly open her eyes, it was still difficult at first but eventually she was able to force them open. At first her vision was blurry and fragmented but soon that too cleared up allowing her to see clearly.

Jaqueris had his hand over his face and was crying. But why, was it because of his brother, had something happened to him? She had never seen him like this; it was akward looking at someone who seemed so sure of themselves most of the time to suddenly be weeping before you.

Another tear fell down and this time if fell on her forehead, it was hot. No longer able to hold it in any longer she asked, "Why are you crying?"

Her voice came out raspy and tired like she had spoken in years. He ceased his whimpering on hearing her speak and removed his hand slowly, she saw his eyes red with the rim around his eyes wet from his tears, and he stared down at her in disbelief.

Seeing his bewildered expression Megan smiled, "What, you act like you've seen a ghost?"

Jaqueris cupped her face in his hands and gently pulled her closer to him, "Megan, you…you're alright?"

When he said this, the other X-men and a man that Megan was not familiar with appeared behind Jaqueris and looked down at Megan with the same look of skepticism. Confused by their reactions she said, "Of course I'm alright…why would I be?"

Wolverine and Mirage looked at each other seeming to have a silent conversation before she could ask what they were doing Danielle looked at her and said, "What do you remember, Megan?"

Baffled once again she raised a brow, but found that she couldn't do it completely this made her face look like she was constipated, but it was too serious a situation to laugh now allowing her to answer.

"Um…we broke inside of A.I.M.'s base, but then we got ambushed. X-23 saved me though and we managed to save Jaqueris' brother. He led us…to…the hangar and then after that…I guess I blacked out." She looked up at the others who had varying degrees of confusion plastered on their faces "Did I get knocked out or something?" she asked in embarrassment

The four mutants eyed each other at this question. Do they tell her and hope she didn't go catatonic from the shock or…

"Uh…yeah, but Jaqueris saved you." Said Josh thinking quickly

The others offered no other story contrary to this, so Megan had no choice but to accept it as true. She looked at Jaqueris for confirmation, however, but for some reason he seemed unsure.

"_Probably being modest."_ She thought

"Can you help me up?" she asked softly

Nodding Nova grabbed her arm and put his hand on her waist like he was holding a newborn baby. Slowly he rose with Megan trying to make sure he didn't do all the work by providing her assistance, but that was not much because her legs felt like they were made of jello.

Looking upwards she caught the eye of Jaqueris who was looking at her with longing as if they had been separated for an extended amount of time.

"What?" she asked beginning to blush under his gaze

He answered by pulling her into a tight embrace which ignited a slight pain in her side. With the way his arms were wrapped around her small body you would think he had never been hugged before.

Jaqueris didn't care how it looked at the moment he was beyond elated to see Megan alive and breathing, the level of his happiness even surprised him as he had all but given up hope on ever feeling her soft skin or of ever feeling her small frame in his arms. Now that he had the chance to do so again he was not about to cut it short for anything.

"Um…I don't want to rush you or anything, but where's your brother and Laura?" Megan asked

Her inquiry made him break his hug and hold her at arm's length; Jaqueris' eyes went from Megan to Danielle to Wolverine in an instant. He had almost forgotten about the situation Laura was in, thanks to her selfless act of sacrifice.

"There was a helicopter that passed over us not too long ago with Laura inside. Your brother ran off after it in that direction." Josh said pointing where the helicopter had flown to

"That explosion you caused sent a pretty big shockwave this way, if its half as strong as I think it is then that plane didn't stay in the air too long." Added Wolverine

Nova didn't exactly want to leave Megan so soon after her miraculous resurrection, but Laura meant something to him too also his brother was prone to getting into situations that were over his head and he wasn't about to lose him again.

Seeing his indecision Danielle said, "The doctor and I will stay with Megan, Elixir you too, these two need some of your healing." She then looked at the other two males "You and Logan go find Laura and your brother."

Wolverine nodded in response, "We'll rendezvous back at the Blackbird."

Giving Megan one last look he walked over to Logan and said, "Let's go, I'm ready to end this."

"You and I both Jack."

* * *

><p>Null pulled his head from beneath the snow, some of the frosty substance managed to stick to his ebony hair though. Wiping his head clean of any residue he put his hand on his neck and groaned.<p>

"Damn, that hurts! What the hell hit me?" he asked as he looked behind himself to spot Nova and Wolverine flying towards his position

"Should've known." He said standing up out of the snow as the two landed beside him

Null observed Nova with heavy scrutiny before saying, "Funny, I thought you'd be too busy crying over your girlfriend to come out here and handle any of the dirty work."

Giving him a deep frown Nova said, "She isn't dead."

Unconcerned with this news Null turned in the opposite direction, "That's too bad, you've probably lost your edge now and might even be considering letting him go, like a good little hero."

Jaqueris stepped beside him and looking straight ahead said, "On the contrary I still want that guy dead, especially after what he did to Megan."

"_But I have to admit, I'm not as angry as I was before."_

"Megan's her name, huh. A man taking revenge for his woman isn't that romantic?" he said mockingly until his face became extremely serious "but listen this isn't some novel where the guy defeats the villain by locking him up, once we find him, I'll be the one to kill Caduceus and **only **me." He said looking at Wolverine and Nova to ensure they understood

Logan still had a bone to pick with the Greek, but he knew better than to come between a former test subject and the people who had treated him like he was less than human so he gave a terse "Yeah".

Null then turned to look Nova in the eye and for the first time Jaqueris saw that this was more than simple revenge, it was also closure. He also wanted to be free of this oppressive organization that saw him as no more than a resource, something to be replaced if an improvement came along.

While he wasn't comfortable with his little brother killing, he could see that if he denied him this then whatever remained of their relationship would be destroyed and possibly never rebuilt.

"Fine, it's your call." Nova said before putting two of his fingers to his forehead so that he could concentrate on locating Laura. Just when Null was about to strike him over the head because he thought he was slacking off he said, "I found them they're just over that hill," he turned to look at Wolverine "and the chopper's crashed."

The ferrous laced mutant said nothing before he jetted in the direction of the hill. Not wanting to be left behind both Null and Nova followed the elder man. At the speed they were running they came to the top of the hill in a few minutes, there were no more surrounding trees the landscape now just a sea of white.

The only thing that ruined this normally tranquil and beautiful sight was the wreckage of twisted metal at the base of the hill. There were various pieces of scrap metal of differing sizes strewn out across the ground the most prominent being the tail wing of the helicopter. The body of the plane was only a few meters away from its tail end, turned on its sided, but it was not in much better shape.

The windows had been shattered and a blade of the rotators had snapped off, the other two were bent at angles that would leave the helicopter inoperable if it was ever repaired.

"How many are alive in there?" asked Wolverine

"Two." Answered Nova

* * *

><p>The sun rays from the morning sun shined on his face making his eyes wrinkle before he opened them. His vision would not stay still preventing him from focusing on any of his surroundings.<p>

"_Concussion."_ He thought

Eventually it settled and he could see that he had survived the helicopter crash, but was still inside.

Caduceus lifted himself up off the ground or at least tried to as he found that his left arm buckled under the weight placed on it and gave way with a sickening crack sending a ripple of pain through his body.

"_Damn, it's broken." _He thought

Looking on the door of the demolished plane he caught his facial reflection in a lens of a broken window. His glasses had large cracks in them hiding his blue eyes, his nose was bleeding, and he seemed to have a head wound as a red trail ran down the side of his face originating from a bloody patch on the side of his head.

"Well…_guh…_I…I've seen better days." He said to himself before he spit out a pool of blood a massive pain in his stomach made him clutch and assume a fetal position

"_Internal bleeding on top of that, I…I think my stomach is hemorrhaging." _

Looking through the mangled remains of the plane he found that the escort team he had with him was dead even Harkness didn't seem to survive the crash.

_Cough! Cough!_

He may have spoken to soon. The injured man fell from his inverted pilot's seat a few inches ahead of Caduceus. His own wounds were not as serious as Caduceus', or so he thought, until the full extent was revealed when he lifted his head to look at his superior.

"Sir, are you alright?" he asked revealing that his right eye was closed and bloody having been gouged out in the crash

He didn't say anything to the man prompting the Captain to stand up and hobble over to him caused by a profound gash in his thigh. He knelt down beside him as his body heavily clanged against the metal, Harkness panted tiredly as he hovered above Caduceus.

"_He must have internal injuries as well."_

Harkness placed his hand over a bloody hole in his abdomen before speaking again, "Sir, I'm going to help you out of the plane can you hold…"

He stopped as his voice was caught in his throat; a wave of blood came out of his mouth and down his chin. He clutched his stomach as an agonizing pain mysteriously appeared in his gut causing him to clutch his sides with both arms, next blood trickled from the side of his head down the side of his face, and finally he felt his left arm snapped and pop as the bone broke in two.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!" he yelled as it hung limply at his side

No longer able to support himself he fell to the side banging against the helicopter. Looking down he saw that his ankle was being held by Caduceus whose wounds had disappeared!

"That is a nifty trick that my mutation gives me, Captain." Caduceus stood up completely healed from any bodily harm, his clothes were still torn and his glasses were still broken, but other than that he was just fine.

"I can transfer any injury that is placed on me onto another person as long as I can touch them. Great for me, but not so good for the other person." He explained

Harkness spit out some blood before shooting Caduceus a look of everlasting hatred which seemed to be intensified with his bloodshot eyes. He had served A.I.M. loyally for most of his life and this was how he was going to be repaid, dying like a dog inside of a wrecked plane?

Caduceus got on bended knee and looked Harkness right in the eye something that unnerved the veteran soldier. It was like he was looking Death straight in the face, ready to claim his soul, a malevolent grin spread across his face as he spoke, "I want you to know that your years of service were much appreciated." Cad then put a hand on his shoulder

"I'll be sure to add a dollar to your gift card." He finished

Harkness felt his heart beat one last time as it tired out; he gasped one big breath before falling back against the metal wall…dead.

Caduceus tilted his head to the side as he eyed the now deceased Captain he really did like the man, but this was a dog-eat-dog world and that meant tough choices had to be made.

"Now then, where is that Weapon X clone?" he asked looking around

Suddenly he fell forward as the plane whined and swayed forward. His face slammed against the side of the chopper breaking his glasses further. Next, he was thrown to the floor of the plane when it seemed to be…lifted into the air?

Nova levitated the body of the helicopter using two hands, it was heavy no doubt and the fact that he had used up a lot of energy in that blast to destroy the A.I.M base didn't help out, but he had a job to do. Turning the plane to the other side where the door had been ripped off, he shook it up and down until out came a man in a torn white lab coat.

Caduceus hit the ground with a grumble landing on his stomach. His attire was worse for wear but he seemed to be alright physically. Jaqueris let the plane drop to the side away from the good doctor and himself.

Nova stared at the evil man before him with his eyes narrow like a snake. Caduceus lifted his head from the snow and looked at him through cracked lenses, not able to accurately see the face of Nova he discarded the bifocals by throwing them to the side.

When he finally got a good look at him Nova expected shock to adorn his face, but instead he got that damn cocky ass grin again.

"So…I see my agents failed to contain you, eh?" he said standing up and dusting the snow off

"What gave that away?" Nova retorted

Holding out his hand the handgun tucked away inside of Caduceus' coat pocket shot towards Nova as well as the casing holding the darts that could suppress mutant powers, "Make sure you can't use this."

Caduceus put his hand over the area the gun had been removed from as he gave Nova a solemn look. A sound of footsteps in the soft marshy ground made Caduceus looked to his left at the top of the hill, there standing with his arms crossed was the mutant known as Wolverine still wearing his tattered uniform he looked down at Caduceus with a frown, feeling a presence to his right he looked that way to find X-23.

She was crouched with her arm over her knee dangling the cuffs used to restrain her from her fingers; she looked at him with no emotion in her eyes. Her uniform had been ripped as well with an entire sleeve now gone, several gashes were across her arms and midsection, and the side of her pant leg had been ripped away, but thanks to her healing factor she had no scars to show. As reality hit him like a ton of bricks Caduceus began to back away slowly with his hands in the air.

"_The serum must've worn off after we crashed."_ He thought

"Now, let's not do anything we might regret here, what was it Nova?"

The African American teenager kept a blank expression as he said, "I'm not going to do anything, but Null has something he wants to say to you."

Caduceus stopped his back pedal as he felt another existence behind him; he closed his eyes and sighed as by process of elimination and common sense he already knew who was waiting for him once he turned around.

So he did so as slowly as possible but as soon as his face was turned even slightly he was struck to the ground with a hard right. For the second time today his face met snow.

"Nova, give me the gun!" commanded Null before turning back to Caduceus his anger slipping through, "And you GET UP!"

The weapon floated from Nova's hand and over to Null allowing him to grab he gun in one hand and the casing in the other. Flipping open the small case he took out two darts and injected them inside the gun's chamber.

By this time Caduceus had stood up once more but he made sure he wasn't close to Null. The former A.I.M. operative threw the casing aside and pointed the gun at Caduceus who froze in place.

"Just what are you planning to do?" he asked with a nervous smile

"I'm going to make this last." He said to the man plainly

_Bam!_

Null fired the dart with the projectile sticking into Caduceus' neck. He placed his hand over the surface area and quickly pulled out the dart.

Null held out his hand and produced a magnum handgun with only one bullet in the chamber. He then abruptly dropped it to his feet.

Following this Null placed the gun to his wrist and fired once more, leaving another dart behind. He dropped the gun to the ground and pulled out the dart before looking at Caduceus with darkness in his eyes, "There no powers for either of us. It's just you" he pointed to the scientist "and me." He pointed to himself

Null lowered his hands to the side and clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was gritting his teeth so hard that they hurt and his body began to shake from either rage or anticipation maybe both.

"Do you **know** how badly I've wanted this?" he asked rhetorically

Caduceus had never been in a situation like this before, he was defenseless and at the mercy of another. He was so used to being the one causing pain that he never wondered what he would do if the tables were ever flipped.

"Listen, Null, I know we've had our differences, but…Oooffff"

He was cut off by Null punching him in the stomach, knocking the wind from his belly, and making him bend over. Null continued by grabbing the side of his head and gripping his hair so tightly that Caduceus knew there would be bald spots then kneeing him in the face.

Blood splurged from his nose into the air as the scientist fell backwards onto the ground once more. His mind was dizzy as he struggled to focus on the blue sky overhead.

"Get up." Null said with surprising calmness

Caduceus did not want to give Null more than of an advantage than he already had by lying on his back so he obeyed, but did it slowly. Null waited for him patiently by pacing back and forth.

Caduceus wobbled a bit at first but eventually he was back on his feet and Null was all too eager to knock him down again. He continued his beating by sending a hard elbow to his jaw, staying away from the head because he didn't want him to black out, Caduceus' head snapped to the side. Null grabbed his head again and delivered a head butt, Caduceus was seeing white as his forehead connected.

Another head butt came and this time a ringing came into his ears, a third head butt and his nose broke sending out a torrent of blood to the white ground staining it red. Null let him go and didn't even bother wiping the blood from his forehead.

Caduceus stumbled backwards and held out his hand, "Bwait…bwe…can…talk." He said holding his nose

Null was almost shocked into standing still, but quickly overrode such a reaction, "Talk? Did you offer to talk to me before you tried to dissect me?"

Wolverine moved his jaw when he heard this.

He grabbed Caduceus' outstretched hand and placed his thumb on his middle finger, looking Caduceus in his fearful eyes, he snapped his phalange like a twig.

"Aaaaaaaahhhh! God…damn it!" Caduceus cursed as he held his hand in pain

"Tell me, what does it feel like now that you're the one being treated like a plaything, Huh?" he asked

X-23's eyes twinkled as Null yelled at the man.

Caduceus had his back turned to him, feeling like he was being ignored he grabbed the Greek's arm and pulled it behind his back before driving his elbow into his spine. Caduceus heard a crack sound off, he opened his mouth but nothing came out.

He fell forward to the cold ground again sparking Null to say in a sinister voice, "Get up. I didn't break your spine, but I bet you wish I did."

Putting his palm on the ground he tried to get up but fell back down. This was ridiculous, what else could the boy do to him? Knowing some greater pain awaited him on the ground he forced himself to his feet.

Turning steadily to face Null, Caduceus looked nothing like the cocky man he portrayed himself to be. His head swayed from side to side in disorientation; mocking him Null did the same with his head.

"Have you ever wondered why they kill horses once they break only one of their legs?" he asked the man, Caduceus didn't answer and just stared ahead with groggy eyes, "It's because unlike humans or dogs, they can't balance themselves on their other legs."

He then sent a low kick directed at the side of Caduceus' knee when his foot connected a loud wet pop sounded off before Cad fell to the ground clutching his kneecap.

"Gagggghhh…shhhh." Caduceus muttered biting his bottom lip

Nova had seen enough he began to walk forward until a hand on his shoulder from Logan stopped him.

"_When did he get over here?"_ he thought

"Let me go, Wolverine, Ja'Keyon got what he wanted. This is just torture now, if he's going to kill him he should just do it and get it over with!"

Wolverine didn't look at him instead continuing to look down at Null and the writhing Caduceus, "I think Null would be a better judge of that than you, don'tcha think?" he said

Nova remained silent and turned to look down at his brother, if he could be called that.

"Get up." Ordered Null

Caduceus rolled in the snow his face red in pain as he continued to hug his knee; it was swollen like a balloon. Picking up the revolver, Null walked over to him and seeing that he couldn't obey orders stepped on his other knee and broke that as well.

A blood curdling scream escaped from Caduceus' lips and he reared his head back, a single tear escaped from his eye. Pointing the gun at his head Null pulled the hammer lever on the gun.

Caduceus' forehead was lined up with the sights all he had to do was pull the trigger and the man who had put him through so much would never be able to hurt him again, but he didn't do it.

"You know I've imagined this moment countless times in my head and every time I ended up killing you, but now that you're right here in front of me, I've had a change of heart." Null said

He walked a few feet away from the despicable man and kept his back to him, "This gun has one bullet in it, only one. I'm going to leave you here so that you can starve to death, freeze to death, or get eaten by wolves; I don't care as long as you die. Or" he placed the revolver on the ground

"You can do yourself a favor and end it all quickly. Your choice." He said

Caduceus looked at him with an open mouth and skeptical eyes; even he had to admit that those choices were equally cruel and abysmal. But he was not about to play Null's game; he would not be subject to someone else's will like some puppet.

"No…byou do it! I bwant byou to kill me!" he yelled at Null

The vengeful boy gave him an apathetic look and didn't break the eye contact, he wanted to see the hopeless in the man's eyes, the realization that he had no way out of this quandary, that sooner or later he would die either by the forces of nature or his own hand.

And then he walked away.

"Nooooooo, Bi said, I bwant byou to do it!" he screamed at the boy

But Null kept on walking, he was no longer associated with A.I.M. that part of his short life was over, he was officially severing any remaining bonds with the terrorist group. As the pleading rage-filled screams of Caduceus reached his ears, not once did he consider going back and putting the man out of his misery.

"_You reap what you sow"_ He thought to himself

As Null ascended the snowy sloping leading to the top of the hill Nova watched him carefully and thought one thing.

His brother had without a shadow of a doubt been changed.

* * *

><p>Do you see now why I didn't include this part in the last chapter, which would have been too long a read or a write. Now imagine if I had tried to fit all the content from the last three chapters into one, which would be like sixty pages and 30,000 words…in three chapters. Whatever I'm just glad to finally be through with this arc, now I can get to the stuff I've been pining for. Please tell me what you think of the conclusion and if I handled it well<p> 


	27. Downtime

**Downtime**

* * *

><p>Jaqueris packed the last of his clothes inside of his black suitcase and zipped it shut. Looking at the luggage he began to think about how normal his life was going to be now or at least as normal as it could get going to a school full of mutants. He was actually looking forward to it, the gunfire, explosions, and plane crashes were definitely exciting, as well as frightening, but that lifestyle was not beneficial to his health so he couldn't indulge in it, not that he wanted to anyway.<p>

He only had one last thing to put inside, his family photo containing the picture of him, Ja'Keyon, his mother…and father. Picking it up in his hand he looked past the reflective glass as the smiling faces of everyone in it as everybody hugged one another tightly.

The man that was supposed to be his father was in the middle beaming, which made Jaqueris scowl, he had his arm over his mother's shoulder. Her long brown hair fell over his forearm as her dark brown eyes gleamed. Looking back at his father he realized he looked nothing like him and wondered how he never noticed that, it only becoming apparent once the depth of A.I.M.'s manipulations was revealed.

Next he looked at Ja'Keyon causing his features to soften. His brother wasn't smiling as heavily as the other members of his family allowing just a smirk as he eyed Jaqueris sarcastically. Who had his hand on his much shorter brother's head, while his other arm was around his mother's waist, giving a wide grin at the camera.

This photo brought up the thought of his relationship with his brother, now that he was liberated from A.I.M.'s clutches he would be staying at the institute as well. But how would he react? He had obviously been altered by his experience with the terrorists in obvious and not-so-obvious ways, so then question was how would he act in a civilian setting, where he didn't have to punch, shoot, or stab anyone?

Putting his hand to his forehead he rubbed in irritation, _"Thinking about this makes my head hurt."_

Whatever happened, for better or for worst, Jaqueris knew he would have to be there for his sibling and help out anyway he could. Taking his suitcase off of the bed he walked out of his room so that he could take it to the Blackbird.

Logan and Danielle had decided that they would all leave tomorrow morning before the crack of dawn. Lysander and Maria had elected to go their separate ways and leave Null in the capable hands of the X-men, so they would be dropped off at a nearby airport before returning to New York. Ja'Keyon had tried to hide his surprise, but Jaqueris was able to pick up on what slipped through.

He was about to shove the portrait inside until the door opened. Ja'Keyon stepped inside but froze in place once he saw that Jaqueris was the only one in the room.

The two estranged brothers looked at one another for what seemed like an eternity. The tension in the air might have been able to choke someone if they were not careful.

Finally Jaqueris said hesitantly, "Um…so."

"I thought Lysander was in here, but now that I see that he isn't I'm going to leave." Ja'Keyon interrupted and turned to do just that

"Wait!" Jaqueris called his eyes like a ping pong ball being swatted across the table as he searched around the room for something to start a conversation with. Ja'Keyon stood at the doorway looking annoyed with his arms crossed.

Feeling the wooden frame in his hands he thought, _"Well, what better thing to talk about than family?"_

"I…wanted you to see this picture." He walked over to him holding out the Kodak moment for Ja'Keyon to take "It's of us five years ago." He explained

Giving him a wary look Ja'Keyon took the photo slowly and held in both his hands. As he stared down at it Jaqueris realized that the man in the photo was not really either boy's father and the response that Lysander had given him when he asked about Null's knowledge of Project Genesis played again in his head.

"_Does Ja'Keyon know?" Jaqueris asked earnestly_

_Lysander hesitated before saying, "No, he's unaware."_

The decision to tell him or not wrestled back and forth inside his head. He had already been through a lot as it was, so telling him that their births were a cleverly orchestrated science project when he didn't even accept the fact that he had a brother might not have the desired effect.

So he just kept his mouth shut as Null continued to observe the picture. When his eyes went wide for a moment Jaqueris wondered if the image had brought about some old memories.

He watched hopefully as Ja'Keyon went into his pocket and produced a slightly burned piece of paper that was torn around the edges into a small portion. Holding it up beside the photograph his head moved back and forth between the two rapidly.

Ja'Keyon seemed to be in disbelief over something prompting Jaqueris to ask, "What's the matter?"

He moved behind his little brother and looked over his shoulder to an astonishing sight. The decrepit depiction was dissimilar in size but identical in one aspect, on the slip of paper Ja'Keyon was smirking sardonically as a hand was placed on his head.

No matter how many times Null looked at the thing he still couldn't accept what was being shown to him. Malcolm seemed to have a larger more intact representation of the meager scorched photo only he was supposed to possess.

"_But, that's impossible. Lysander and Maria said they found this picture on me, yet he has one too."_ Ja'Keyon thought

Logic began to put together connections inside of Null's head that he didn't want to be made. He was so sure that there was no relation between him and Malcolm that he would bet his life on it, but for some reason something as insignificant as this printed piece of paper was causing him to doubt himself.

"_We can't be brothers…can we? And why does thing woman look so familiar, when I've never seen her in my life?" _he asked himself looking at the figure of the long haired brown skinned woman

So focused was Ja'Keyon on the photograph that he didn't notice Jaqueris behind him so he backed up into the boy inadvertently.

"Ja'Keyon, what's wrong?" Malcolm asked placing his hand on his shoulder

Null's face changed from one of shock and disbelief to one of displeasure as he said, "Stop calling me that!" he ordered

This time Jaqueris put on a look of discontent, he was tired of his brother rejecting who he was, or maybe he was tired of being rejected as his brother, "It's your name!" he argued

"No, it's not!" he stated blandly

With the two brothers eyeing one another they could be contrasted, with Jaqueris having five inches over his 5'10" brother and a low hair cut he stared down at the wooly black head of Ja'Keyon. Their brown eyes drilled into one another each trying to will the other to look away, but there was no clear victor until Ja'Keyon turned away out of frustration.

"Where are you going?" Jaqueris asked

"None of your business!" he answered without turning around, he slammed the door behind him

Jaqueris stared at the wooden doorway for a moment and wondered where he had taken a wrong turn in the conversation. He thought that showing his brother the picture would rekindle some repressed memories, but it only unsettled the already turbulent relationship between the two boys.

"Smooth, Jaqueris, just smooth." He said as he deriding himself

Looking down he saw that Ja'Keyon had dropped the picture frame. Feeling that was not a proper place for one of the only links to his former life he picked it up and stared at it with starry eyes.

"_I wonder what Mom would've done?"_ he thought

The door opened again and Jaqueris hoped it was his Ja'Keyon returning, but was unpleasantly surprised when it turned out to only be Josh coming to get his stuff.

Coming through the door he saw the distraught look on Jaqueris' face and asked, "Everything good?"

Glancing at the family portrait one last time he said derisively, "Super."

* * *

><p>Outside the Colorado night sky was chilly, but not as cold as the first night they had arrived. Jaqueris had decided to walk just so he could bask under the moon's rays and enjoy the trek and get his mind off of things, but was finding it difficult. The minor fight he had with his brother was still troubling him at the back of his mind or perhaps at the forefront.<p>

So confounded by it was he that he barely registered Josh's presence beside him making him adopt a distant gaze.

"Come on, Jaqueris, you're freaking me out. You haven't said anything since we left the hotel and I would've thought you'd be as happy as can be since Megan's alive."

Mentioning Megan caused Jaqueris' train of thought to shift back into the present. He was most certainly happy that Megan was alive and well, but the situation with his brother had clogged his mind temporarily.

"It is weird though." asked Josh

"What is?"

Josh gave him a glance before saying, "What you were able to do with Megan, I mean I can heal, but I don't think I could a Lazarus."

Recognizing Josh's biblical reference Jaqueris said, "What makes you think I did it?"

"Come on don't get all modest on me, I mean when I touched her she was…gone and I mean gone gone." Jaqueris caught the glimpse of sadness on his face as he revisited this memory "But when you do the same all of a sudden she's breathing easy again."

Jaqueris thought about this as they continued to walk, Megan did not reanimate until she was in his arms, but that didn't necessarily mean he was responsible, "Still, I have trouble healing broken bones and deep cuts, now you're saying I can bring people back from the dead?"

Josh shrugged his shoulders, "All I'm saying is that you were pretty bummed when you thought she was gone and after what you did to the A.I.M base when you got mad, I wouldn't put it past you."

Jaqueris looked straight ahead as he pondered this possibility; he had to admit there was a direct correlation between his emotions and powers. It seemed that the more potent the emotion was that he was feeling the greater feats he could accomplish.

He remembered the rush of power that overtook him in the base, he felt like he could accomplish anything, he felt powerful…invincible even. But was that feeling just a result of the adrenaline in his blood or was there something more to it?

"But there still is one problem, though." Josh said with a mischievous smile

Curious Jaqueris raised a brow and said, "And that would be?"

"With Megan okay now, you're back into your little love triangle with her and Laura."

Jaqueris' mouth fell agape at his logic before he smacked himself on the forehead. Because of all that had occurred his mind wasn't focused on the dilemma he had placed himself in and only now did he realize he had yet to resolve it.

"Speak of the devil." Uttered Joshua

Jaqueris lowered his hand to see that he was referring to Laura and Logan walking towards them. Seeing the short Canadian made his heart drop as he wondered whether or not Laura had informed him of their complicated relationship.

"_He is her brother or father or…something."_ He thought unable to make sense of their genetic connection

As the two groups closed in on one another Jaqueris' heartbeat quickened thinking about all of the ways that Logan could kill him for hurting his sister/daughter. It was like a band of drummers were beating inside his chest by the time they all stopped in front of one another. Rubbing his fingers together Jaqueris realized that his palms had gotten sweaty.

Logan's blue eyes ran over Jaqueris, sizing him up like he was about to engage him in a fight to the death. This made the African American teen even more nervous than he already was, but he stood his ground trying to prepare himself if the mutant decided to lop off his head.

"Alright, Foley, let's go." Wolverine finally said grabbing the taller boy by the shoulder and leading him in the other direction

"But I have to put my stuff on the Blackbird." He argued

He offered more protests as he and Logan departed, but they had no effect as Logan kept his grip tight. Soon Josh's voice and their footsteps faded away leaving an uncomfortable silence as Jaqueris and Laura were left to themselves.

With Logan no longer staring him down Jaqueris felt more relaxed but not substantially so because now he had to deal with another problem which may even be less preferable to Wolverine trying to kill him.

Laura had her hands crossed behind her back and she seemed to have found the snowy ground beneath her very interesting at the moment.

"_Come on Jaqueris, she's not going to start talking herself. It's time to man up!" _he thought

Sighing heavily Laura brought her eyes from the ground up to eye level with the much taller boy. Staring into her eyes Jaqueris felt his confidence dip by a small margin before he said, "Listen, Laura I'm going to get straight to the point."

Laura continued staring at him with her blank expression as he continued, "Look, I think you're a great girl, heck, an amazing girl even. I know I'm sounding clichéd when I say this, but any guy would be lucky enough to have you and I mean it."

The clone's facial expression didn't change but she was actually listening intently to the boy, "But I don't think…what I mean to say is…you and I we're…" Jaqueris tried to find the correct words as he stammered away

Laura raised her finger and placed it over Jaqueris' lips, Logan had told her this was more effective than hitting a person to quiet them, "You do not have to explain yourself." She said

Removing her finger she looked into the confused eyes of Jaqueris, "I could smell your scent when Megan was killed."

Jaqueris almost flinched at how casually she could talk about death like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"You were extremely distraught, you were ready to kill all that were responsible without a second thought. I do not understand what could cause a normally civil person to become homicidal in such a short amount of time, but I think the correct term is…love?" she asked

The reference to the "L" word caught Jaqueris by surprise; he never realized how powerful a four letter remark could actually be until it involved him directly.

Rubbing the back of his head Jaqueris said, "Well, I definitely like her, but love…Laura that's kind of well serious." He tried to explain

She continued to stare at him as if expecting him to continue when he didn't Laura spoke again, "Megan is lucky to have a mate such as you."

Jaqueris took notice of the archaic term of "mate", it suggested that he and Pixie were trying to procreate and while he had to admit the thought of sex wasn't too far away from his mind, but the usage of "mate" didn't actually sit well with him at least not now.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he felt something wet on his lips, Laura was kissing him! She put her hands on either side of his face as she deepened the kiss, like the first time they were as soft as pillows, but prudence stopped him from indulging any further than he already had.

Laura pulled her lips away from him slowly as he tried to make sense of what just happened. She stared into his eyes as if searching for answers in his orbs.

"Um…Laura what was that for?" he asked

She did not answer immediately and instead removed her hands, "I had to be sure." She said cryptically

"Sure of what?" he asked

Laura did not answer as she walked past him and headed back towards the hotel. Jaqueris stared at her back as she walked away until she was out of sight.

Jaqueris turned forward and rubbed the top of his head.

"_I guess Laura isn't too different from other girls, some of the stuff she does can't be figured out." _He thought as he walked towards the blackbird happy that the situation between him and Laura had been handled.

* * *

><p>Megan lay down, atop one of the fold out chairs provided by the hotel, under the cool Colorado night sky as she stared into space, she was normally not the spacey type but for some reason she wasn't feeling like herself.<p>

It started ever since she woke up in the mountains in Jaqueris' arms, she couldn't place her finger on it, but she felt…different somehow. Even after being healed by Josh she still felt the same way, so it wasn't physical. Even stranger was when she tried to talk to the others about exactly what happened in A.I.M.'s base they all got this apprehensive look on their faces, save for Laura who refused to answer her questions at all, and said she had been knocked out.

She trusted the other's but something with that story just did not sit well with her and unable to shake that feeling here she was under the moonlight sky hoping some answers would come to her.

"I never pegged you for the star gazing type." Said a voice

Megan looked to her side to find Jaqueris standing over her with a contemplative look. Megan smiled as he lay down beside her, she felt like he was the only one that wasn't keeping something from her.

They both stared up into the boundless sky transfixed by the mysterious twinkling stars that seemed so close that you could touch them and the rotund satellite that forever orbited Earth. It all seemed so natural and perfect in stark contrast to the world they lived in.

"Do you think they're up there? Are parents I mean, your family or my dad?" she asked out of the blue

He continued to stare upwards and breathed out audibly, he was not one of the most religious of people, but like most people he questioned if there was something after their lives on Earth.

"I don't know, truthfully, I hope they are. I'd give anything to see them again, it helps to think that they are up there floating on a cloud smiling down at us…but"

Megan turned to look at him and Jaqueris caught the shine in her eye from the moonlight, "Life keeps throwing things in my face that make me feel like it's a waste of time."

"What things?" she asked curiously

"_You dying."_ He wanted to say, but caught himself as he opened his mouth and replaced it with, "My brother." He said staring into her eyes

Megan bit her bottom lip when he said this; she realized that saving Ja'Keyon was bitter sweet. Sweet in that he was free and no longer being abused by A.I.M., but the bitter part was well she didn't actually know what that was.

"At least you got him back." She said trying to cheer him up

He turned his attention back to the sky's showing making Megan think he didn't appreciate her answer, "Yeah, but how much of him I wonder." He said confirming her suspicions

Unsure of what he meant by that Megan returned to space gazing as well and while she did so her mind began to wonder onto a very bothersome subject.

"Jaqueris, what really happened to me at the base?"

Jaqueris' head snapped in her direction so fast he thought he might suffer from whiplash afterwards. Megan turned quite a bit slower than this as she looked him in the eyes.

Jaqueris was at a crossroads on what to do. He could tell her the truth and live with the backlash or keep lying and hope she never found out what really occurred.

"_What do I do if I tell her I might lose her just after getting her back, but if I don't tell her and she finds out some other way then it's as good as over anyway." _He thought disconsolately

Noticing that Megan was still waiting patiently for an answer Jaqueris said, "I…don't know what to say."

"The truth would be nice." It was more than a statement it was almost pleading. Those pink eyes showed a cry from someone who just wanted to know the truth and who was Jaqueris to deny her that? Taking a leap of faith and hoping the saying, "The truth will set you free" held some reliability he said, "Listen Megan, when we were in the hangar…there was this guy named Caduceus and he…he ordered this guy to shoot you."

Jaqueris could see the mix of confusion and disbelief creep onto her face as he recounted the painful experience to her, "Once we got out you didn't wake up even after Elixir tried healing you. By…by the time I got there you were…you were…gone. We didn't want to tell you because we thought it might be best if you didn't remember it."

Jaqueris prepared himself for the torrent of angry tears and maybe even a few fists that might come his way at this revelation, God knew he deserved it, but it never came Pixie just sat straight up and stared straight ahead.

Seeing that she was in shock, Jaqueris thought it would be best if he left and shifted his weight slightly to the left off of the chair, but was stopped by Megan placing a hand on his thigh.

"No, don't go I just…Thank you for telling me." She said without looking at him

Jaqueris placed his hand over Megan's, "No problem."

"But if what you're telling me is true then how am I still here?" she asked her face showing a little fatigue

"I'm not too sure, Josh thinks I had something to do with it, but there isn't really an explanation."

Megan seemed to be thinking of something before she said, "Maybe you should thank someone for that." She joked half-heartedly cracking a small smile and moving her eyes upwards

The joke didn't fly over his head and it even managed to make him chuckle. The two laughed lightly together as they tried to ease the tenuous situation they had found themselves in even though they both knew the joke wasn't that funny.

Eventually they had to stop and face the other's gaze once again.

"Can…can you stay with me a little bit longer?" she asked meekly

Giving her a sympathetic look Jaqueris nodded, "Of course."

The two lay back on the chair, Megan put her head on Jaqueris' chest and cuddled closer to him protectively. She could hear his heart beat thump inside of his chest, the rhythm put her at ease as she listened.

Jaqueris ran his fingers through Pixie's bubblegum hair, "You know I settled things with Laura."

Megan looked up at Jaqueris and said, "Let's not talk about Laura." Before pressing her lips to his, similar to Laura before him Jaqueris was not expecting this reaction so he didn't return it immediately.

Megan didn't seem to care as her tongue demanded entrance into his mouth, coming to his senses Jaqueris obliged and let her in. This kiss was different from anything normal, normally Megan was soft and sweet, but now there was a hunger behind it like she'd been deprived almost…Jaqueris liked it.

Unlike Laura's kiss he was free to indulge **completely** with the Welsh girl and he did just that.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Morning<strong>

Null put his hands in his pockets, a sign of discomfort, this action made complete sense to him because he was not used to these kinds of situations. He could take on 10 armed men at a time blindfolded but farewells were not his niche at all.

He was standing at the doorway that would lead any passengers to the plane they were supposed to be boarding. The airport was quite large and let in a great amount of sunlight which Ja'Keyon found annoying and unnecessary.

Jaqueris was sitting beside Megan and was surrounded by the other X-men as they watched Ja'Keyon say goodbye to the people who had risked their lives to ensure he was freed. As Jaqueris watched his nervous behavior he wondered the exact relationship between the three.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Said Maria moving a strand of purple hair out of her face

Null gave her a stern look and said, "It's not goodbye, it's just until we meet again…or something." He said shrugging

Lysander, now completely healed thanks to Josh, knew that Null was trying to hide what he was truly feeling with dismissive behavior, but he didn't know that it actually betrayed the fact that he cared.

"A shame, though that we won't be able to call you once we're gone." He said

Null snorted and briefly turned away before saying, "You know why we can't; A.I.M. isn't going to just let me go that's why I'm going to this stupid school. They'll figure out you guys went rogue and will try to get to me through you two, so that means no cell phones, only use cash, you guys can't leave a trail."

Lysander and Maria both looked at one another before sharing a laugh. Null crossed his arms and tapped his foot in agitation, "What's so funny."

Maria managed to stop laughing first and rubbed a stray tear from her eye, whether it was one of happiness or sorrow was unknown, "It's just funny because, we used to be your handlers and Lee used to talk to you like that to make sure you didn't do anything stupid to get yourself killed."

"And you didn't, you should have seen her, every 4 seconds she was asking me to check on your vitals." He teased

Maria slapped Lysander playfully across the shoulder as the two began to laugh again; Null stared at them with serious eyes but was unable to stop himself from letting out a light chuckle as well.

As the three laughed one would think they were a close knit family despite the fact that Ja'Keyon was black and the other two white. When it finally died down the gravity of reality began to set in and their happy faces became one of sobriety.

"Lysander, Maria before you go I have to ask you something important."

The two scientists straightened their faces at his statement, "Anything." Said Maria

"Is Jaqueris Malcolm my brother?"

* * *

><p>I wanted to add a bit more to this chappie, but it would turn out to be another 20 page story, so you all will just have to check back in to see how Null adapts to his first few days at the institute. I'm really looking forward to these next chapters because I'm about to move into the arc I've been dying to get into since I began this story. So review and all that good stuff.<p> 


	28. Downtime Part 2

**Downtime Pt. 2**

* * *

><p>Null's back connected with the solid wooden barricade that stopped above his shoulders. The pain wasn't as distracting as the mob of people surrounding the "cage fight" that was taking place illuminated only by the large light centered above the ring. Dozens of people or rather mutants were screaming in his ear as well as in general trying to instigate more violence between the two competitors fighting.<p>

The two competitors just happen to be Null and an unnamed mutant that bore a striking resemblance Doctor Conner or the Lizard, a rogue of Spider-man. Null was only wearing a pair of black sweat pants his feet bare to allow quicker movement and his hands wrapped in white tape to ensure no small bones in his hand were broken.

The spectators were all an unsightly bunch, greasy and haggard. This was only exemplified by the atrocious faces they were making as they lost all manner of civility watching the brawl taking place.

"Come on get him!" Null heard an impatient voice say

The crowd had offered numerous other taunts and jeers directed at the two mutants, but Null felt they were on his case more than the other man, possibly because he was the underdog. After all his opponent was at least 6'8", weighing in at probably 300 lbs, and the rows of razor sharp teeth and knife like claws didn't make him any less intimidating. His inhuman physique was shown off given he had no shirt and the only choice of clothing was a pair of ripped purple shorts that were probably borrowed from the Hulk.

His forked tongue licked his green chops as his yellow slit eyes stared him down hungrily. If there were rules at all in this fighting ring he hoped they covered cannibalism.

"What are you waiting for? Fight!" commanded another anxious voice from the crowd

"_They're getting annoying."_ Null thought

The lizard man seemed to think the opposite, in fact, he seemed invigorated by the ambient noise going on and was about to show his excess energy by tearing into Null. He swiped with a right hand, but Null ducked under it and delivered two quick hooks to his rib cage.

Quickly retreating from his angry swipe downwards Null bounced away on his tippy toes doing an imitation of Muhammad Ali that would make Will Smith green with envy.

The beast turned back his way letting out a low growl at being evaded, _"That's good, get angry, I like you when you're angry cause then I can…"_

He was cut off when a left claw was aimed at his face; Null blocked it with his forearm then cracked the mutant in the jaw with his right elbow, his dagger like teeth cracked from the force. Kneeing him in the gut, Null grabbed his held arm and threw the reptile man into the barrier.

As soon as he made contact Null did something that most people would find foolish…he slapped him twice in the face , in quick succession then back away, once again in his bouncing stance, smiling.

A mocking "Oooooohhhh" erupted from the crowd at the show of disrespect. The lizard man shook his head a few times then refocused on Null, his eyes ripe with anger, roaring like his dinosaur cousin he charged at Null with the intent to dismember.

Smiling Null allowed him to charge and prepared himself, once the raging bull was close enough, Null dropped to the ground locked his feet around the nearest ankle of his adversary. With his feet taken from under him down he went, face-first into the cemented floor.

He quickly tried to rise but was held down when Null jumped on his back and wrapped his arm around the monster's throat with an anaconda like grip. The crowd went bananas at the brutality and roared for more.

"Finish him!"

"Choke him out!"

It was like the minds of the people had reverted back to the days of the Coliseum and gladiators, eager to see someone maimed or broken for their amusement. It made Null sick to see folks lose their minds over a fight and irked him even more that he was actually enjoying himself as he choked the life out of his foe.

The lizard tried to rise to his feet but Null just assumed a sitting position which increased the weight on his neck making him fall back to his knees. His long serpent tongue hung out the side of his mouth as he became desperate for air.

Null waited patiently for him to lose consciousness, but then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. A person that didn't belong, their haircut was too smooth and clean shaven, and their clothes lacking a certain amount of dirt and grime.

Blocking out the roars of the crowd and moving past their faces visually, he spotted the diamond in the rough.

"_What is he doing here?"_

Null suddenly felt his feet lose contact with the ground, looking down he saw that the lizard man had taken advantage of his lapse in pressure and picked Null up by the waist. Once he had carried the boy to the pinnacle of his intended height, he dropped backwards, slamming Null into the unforgiving pavement.

Null writhed in racking pain as he felt his scapula, skull, spine, and shoulder almost shatter from the impact. He was dazed, the room and the people in it shook like he was on some psychedelic drug, he rolled over on his stomach as another wave of pain ran through his back, but he would recover, he had been through worse after all.

Behind him the lizard man was on one knee as he rubbed his sore throat with a clawed hand, his body taking in every ounce of precious air it had been deprived of.

There were rules against killing your opponent, but he didn't care right now, the runt had tried to suffocate him and now he was going to pay for it…as soon as he caught his breath again that is.

Null could feel his healing factor kick in as the hard pain began to dissipate; it was now at a level that he could stand up on his own. Staggering at first he soon felt his strength return in full and he turned to finish his match.

_Swrrrkk!_

Null jumped back as the area from his chest to the lower part of his abdomen was sliced by the vengeful claws of the lizard mutant. Blood splattered on the floor coming from the three bloody scars running parallel to one another. If Null wanted to make his challenger angry he had succeeded now that he was coming at him in a blind fury.

The crowd cheered at the elevated level of danger now present in the bout.

He swiped at his face forcing Null to dodge left before having to quickly dodge another right claw. Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, left it was like playing a game of Simon Says as Null avoided being eviscerated.

Continuously dodging was not an option however as his time was running out. One of the few rules for the fight club, besides not talking about the fight club, was no competitors with healing factors were allowed, "You heal. No Deal." He had been told.

Since he had been injured rather publicly his body would soon begin to mend itself back together then the secret edge he held would be revealed and he would have to deal with some angry mutants who had lost their money betting against him. So the only choice now was for him to swiftly neutralize his enemy before his healing factor kicked in.

This would be easier said than done however because of the blind attacks being sent his way, he wanted the man angry but not so angry that he was blinded by his rage. Now he would have to contend with furious mutant that wanted to tear him limb from limb, the multitude of paying customers loving every minute of it.

Having no success with his swipes the reptilian male decided try and grab Null, but was rebuked when Null just slipped under it. Not having the soft frail flesh of boy on his claws made him shudder and growl with ire, this was amplified when Null, wisely or unwisely kicked the man in the back causing him to tumble into the barricade.

Null watched his head smacked into the cage surrounding them and knew he would be even more pissed once he got up, but at least now he had some breathing room. Once he did recover Null was ready as he ran at him arms outstretched wanting, **needing** to rip him apart.

Waiting for his chance Null step into the man quickly, he saw the animalistic eyes of the man shine when he thought his prey was within reach, and then sent a lightning quick uppercut into the throat of the Lizard Jr.

With his larynx already damaged this strike managed to make him stumble backwards. Not letting up Null pursued and sent an open palm strike at the same area catching his gullet between his thumb and index finger. For the finale Null jumped into the air and connected with a spinning roundhouse kick to the diaphragm.

The force was sufficient enough to send him sliding across the ground, where he clutched his throat in pain and assumed a fetal position, his diaphragm probably hemorrhaging. The lizard man turned to the side and violently coughed up a pool of blood on the floor.

The rambunctious onlookers were deathly quiet now as the smaller of the two fighters had emerged victorious…again. Null ran his hand down the line of the wound on his chest, the warm blood smearing his fingers.

The wound was already closing and would be completely healed in a matter of seconds. Not even waiting for his announcement as the winner he vaulted over the wooden barricade and made his way to the locker room, the crowd cleared a path for him on their own; no one wanted to get in the way of the ruthless combatant.

Even though he was in a hurry to get to the back, he had to admit it felt good to have people respond to him that way.

"_Respect, you never get tired of it."_ He thought

Bashing in the door to the locker room he was fortunate to find it empty save for a few flies and the putrid smell of urine and sweat. Wrinkling his nose he made his way to the bathroom, this locker room was really a piece of work, the actual lockers were painted red but most of it had been chipped away to reveal a rusty coating, there were brown towels strewn about that used to be white, and the bathroom was even worse.

The smell of piss was strongest in here; the tiles on the floor were broken, cracked, or entirely removed. The stalls had several doors removed revealing disgusting toilets that one would think twice about sitting on.

All in all it was a grimy and underworld type place, not somewhere you would take a date or vacation to, but then that was kind of the demeanor of the entirety of Mutant Town. It was basically a reservation allowed by the human government where mutants could fester.

It may or may not have turned out that way as Mutant Town was a cesspool of debauchery, drugs, and of course crime. Some would say it was proof that humans were becoming more tolerant of mutants by giving them their own land while others would argue that it was only a reservation where the baseline humans could act like mutants didn't exist.

Null was neither an advocate nor opponent of mutant/human relations he had just come to mutant town to earn some extra money and to find a distraction everything else was irrelevant to that.

Going back to the matter at hand, Null observed his body in the mirror, his ebony skin with a solid chest and defined abs were stained with drying blood. Running his hand across the area of the wound he found it to be closed and the blood beginning to crust.

Turning on the faucet he was surprised to not find the water brown, wetting his hands he wiped across his chest and stomach to rid himself of the desiccated substance.

"_Behind you."_ Said a disembodied voice that seemed to whisper into his ear in a low growl

Startled by the warning he turned around and instantly wished he hadn't. Before him was the odd man who was watching him fight just a few moments ago.

"What are you doing here, Malcolm?" he asked

Jaqueris crossed his arms and leaned against the stone wall patronizing him with his eyes, "What are you doing here?" he said with vibrant eyes

Null looked in the mirror; he wouldn't give Malcolm the satisfaction of looking him eye to eye, "Isn't it obvious, fighting."

He continued to wipe away the blood as if nothing was the matter. Jaqueris made a sound of frustration, forcing Null to hide a smirk from crawling onto his face.

"How'd you get past security? I know you didn't get pay the entrance fee?" he asked examining his chin

Malcolm's entire body disappeared into thin air causing Null to focus more heavily on where he was last, he saw that there the space where he had occupied was shimmering the air. Suddenly Jaqueris reappeared beside Null like the end of a magic trick.

"You bend the light around you to turn yourself invisible. That's a neat trick, can you make it permanent." Admitted Null as he stepped back from the boy a little

Ignoring the request of his disappearance Jaqueris said, "You could learn things like that too if you actually went to class. By the way you're five days tardy and why didn't you let me know where you were going?"

A black mist surrounded Ja'Keyon's torso and appendages' leaving behind a white tight fitting t-shirt and black cargo shorts.

"Haven't you heard? The first rule of fight club is to not talk about fight club and you're supposed to be my brother not my mother."

Jaqueris was momentarily taken aback by Ja'Keyon referring to him as his brother, he had been so adamant about having no relation to him that to suddenly acknowledge their familial relationship was strange, but not unwanted.

"Doesn't matter anyway because you're coming back to the institute with me." Stated Jaqueris with an authoritative tone

Null invaded his Malcolm's personal space and looked up straight into his eyes. They were so close that Ja'Keyon could feel the air from his nose bear down on him, "And if I say no?"

A yellow light emanated from Jaqueris' hand, holding it up seemed to have an unexpected effect. Three bands of light were summoned, wrapping themselves around Null's wrists like a pair of cuffs, shackled his ankles, and reined his arms close to his body.

"What the hell?" cursed Null as he lost his balance and fell to the floor

He wiggled like an earthworm as he tried to free himself from his shining binds, which were proving to be much stronger than any rope.

"Let me go!" he commanded

Jaqueris crouched beside him and put his chin in his palm, "If you came to school you might've learned how to teleport and you could free yourself. You did know that the X-men have an expert, right?"

Null didn't respond to his remark the bloody murder glare being the only response he offered.

"Alright, let's get back to the school; it's already 12:00. We're a few hours past curfew as is." He informed

Null continued to struggle and let out an exasperated grunt as he felt his body go weightless and lift into the air. As Jaqueris walked away Null felt a tug in the gravity manipulators direction that pulled him behind the boy like a leash.

"Wait, I have to collect my winnings!" cried Null

Jaqueris glanced back at him, but said nothing and continued to walk from the locker room to the back exit.

* * *

><p><strong>15 Minutes Later<strong>

Jaqueris and Null walked along the dark street as they made their way back to Xavier's. Well Jaqueris walked while Ja'Keyon was pulled along for the ride like a loyal lapdog.

Sighing Ja'Keyon said, "Why don't you just fly us there?"

"I could but if you want to risk the chance of me dropping you from the air onto the rough pavement then I could give it a try."

"Would be better than this." Said Null loud enough for Jaqueris to hear

Nova didn't bother to answer, there had been similar situations before like this where Jaqueris had to forcibly drag his brother away from a bad situation, and Ja'Keyon was usually sour with him afterwards for separating him from what he viewed as a harmless activity.

"You know they did a really bad job, A.I.M. I mean, if they were going to brain wash you why let you keep your original personality?" he asked

Ja'Keyon didn't answer and found the night sky more interesting than any contrast drawn between him and his past self.

"I mean besides your love of shooting, maiming, and blowing things up, you're pretty much the same, minus the age and martial arts training of course."

Null groaned as Jaqueris prattled on about extraneous topics. He continued to study the stars to try and pass the time until he felt that he was no longer being tugged and just hovered in mid-air.

"What's the hold-up I can't say I enjoy being bound like this." He said before he was abruptly dropped to the ground on his back

"Oof…you dick!" he insulted as he rolled on his side and turned his head in Jaqueris' direction

Looking past Nova he was able to spot what had caused him to stop. A group of unusual individuals were gathered around someone on the ground, the darkness was no issue to Null as he could see their faces clearly and they all looked human.

He could even make out the traces of disdain and hate caked into their faces.

"_Typical bigots."_ Null thought

Null looked into Jaqueris' face and saw a level of bitter hatred line his face as he straightened his mouth in an unbent contour.

"Wait here." Said Jaqueris without thinking as he began to walk away

"Oh yeah, it's not like I'm tied down or anything!" called Null sardonically

Jaqueris walked towards the group his steps hard and deliberate, "Hey, what's going on over here?"

The racist humans all turned to him showing no remorse for their actions. Nova was able to get a good view of the mutant victim on the ground; he was blue with six arms dressed in a midnight fur coat that went down below his ankles. There was an ostentatious golden chain hanging around his neck and a pair of expensive looking shades was a few feet away from his body. Foamy saliva drooled down the side of his open mouth combine with two of his four eyes rolled up inside his head gave the impression that he had died not long before.

One of the degenerates smiled a toothy grin, he looked to be an overweight man in his 30's wearing a red and white checkered shirt with blue jeans that had holes in it, whether they were made that way or not Jaqueris didn't know or care.

"One less mutie in the world, this one dropped dead once we cornered him." He said with a sense of pride in his voice

Nova ground his teeth together at their lack of respect for the sanctity of life.

"We didn't even ha' ta touch him, looked like he overdosed on some goddamn mutie drug." said a short haired blonde to skinny to be anything other than a lackey

The man was holding a black inhaler with a red X in the middle connecting to a circle. Recognizing the familiar product the artificial enhancer was yanked out of the man's hands by an invisible force shooting into Jaqueris' who looked at the men with judgmental eyes.

A look of disbelief appeared on their faces as they realized the perfectly normal looking human was actually a…

"Mutant!" yelled a portly red head

Before any further racial slurs or physical assault could be perpetuated Nova blew the three men into the air with a forceful push that had a little more "push" than usual.

"Now get out of here before I give you all cancer!" he threatened

The men scrambled to pick themselves up and obey they scurried away like rodents into the darkness their hate for mutants increased. Nova heard several curses directed at him and even some obscene hand gestures being flipped into the air.

Forgetting about the ignoramuses Jaqueris knelt down to observe the unfortunate man. He had blue skin and two sets of arms, Jaqueris brought the Kick container to his eyes, it was strange how such a small object could cause so much strife.

What made it worse was the fact that those guys, those humans didn't even bother to call for help and he wouldn't have put it past them to have watched gleefully while the man took his last breath.

Jaqueris put his hand on the man's neck to ensure that there was no pulse. His skin was hard and felt similar to plastic and was now cold. There was no pulse.

"_What makes them that way? Why do they hate us so much?"_ he pondered removing his fingers from the side of the man's neck

"Hey, are you gonna stare at the corpse all night and leave me face down on the pavement?" Called Ja'Keyon aggravated

His brother's nagging caused him to remember the already broken curfew and how little sleep he would have now thanks to tonight's events. Giving the mystery mutant one last look he made his way back.

* * *

><p>By the time Ja'Keyon and Jaqueris had arrived back at school it was 1 o' clock in the morning according to the digital clock in their room. Professor Xavier had been lenient enough to replace Victor with Ja'Keyon as his roommate per request.<p>

Jaqueris sat his brother down on his bed very close to the edge before saying, "Alright, try and get some sleep. I'm going to talk to Professor McCoy about what happened in Mutant Town tonight."

He looked at Null who didn't seem to care whether Jaqueris jumped off of the top of the school offering only an impassive "Whatever".

"They're going to ask me why I was out there so late at night so you can expect to do some explaining tomorrow." He warned

Null shrugged his shoulders in response.

Groaning heavily Jaqueris said, "Right, I'll see you tomorrow then." He then walked out and closed the door behind him enveloping the room in darkness

"Wait! You're not gonna take off these damn restraints!" he yelled after the boy but Malcolm did not return to the room

Letting out a sound of agitation Ja'Keyon dropped his head on the pillow. He closed his eyes as he tried to get some sleep, it didn't matter that he would only get about five hours of rest, in A.I.M. he got even less and was expected to function at a high level.

_Crrrkkkk!_

Null snapped his eyes open as he felt his body weight move forward, he couldn't stop his descent as his arms and legs were bound so there was nothing stopping him from crashing into the floor.

_Guff!_

He grunted as he fell face first onto the floor, he managed to move his head on his onto its side but found he couldn't do the same with his body. Shuffling on the floor he attempted to get in a more comfortable position but to no avail.

"Damn! Malcolm where are you? Get back in here now!" he fussed into the darkness but no one could hear him

* * *

><p>Morning came, but luckily the intrusive rays of the sun were mostly blocked by the closed blinds in the room they both shared. Though trace amounts of sunlight managed to peek through shining into Null's closed eyes.<p>

The light stung his unprepared eyelids making him half-open them. He surveyed the room carefully and found that he was back on his bed facing the wall with his back to the door, trying to move his limbs he also found that they were no longer bound together allowing free movement. Looking at the clock on the desk it read 6:30 in red numerals.

"You should get up, class starts in 30 minutes and you haven't even taken a shower yet." Said Malcolm from behind him

Turning to face him Ja'Keyon saw that he was dressed in a burgundy short sleeve shot with the symbol of Rocawear over his left breast and a pair of dark blue jeans of the same brand. Null was still wearing his attire from last night as the smell coming from under his arm reminded.

"What makes you think I'm going to class?" questioned Null sitting up on the bed

Jaqueris gave him a pressuring look and said, "If you don't I'll tie you up again and put you in the closet for the day."

A chuckle escaped from Ja'Keyon's mouth as he thought the boy was making a bad attempt at a joke until he look at his face which was solemn, "You're serious? I think that categorizes as child abuse in some states."

Jaqueris' expression stayed the same as he turned around and retrieved a paper off of his bed, "You've got Art with Mr. Rasputin for first period. This is your schedule." He said handing him the paper

"I went out and bought you some clothes so you don't have to keep doing that smoke thing you do."

Taking it from his hands Ja'Keyon saw that the white sheet of paper revealed his classes to be Art with Piotr Rasputin, Ethics with Emma Frost, Native American History with Dani Moonstar, and English III with Jean Grey. He rolled his eyes at the high school courses he was being asked to take, if he was feeling particularly sour he might have balled up the paper and threw it away, but as it was he was only a little bothered.

"The Professor says you can train with Nightcrawler in learning how to teleport once he sets up a time. Oh and don't…" He informed

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Jaqueris stopped talking, to Null's great relief, to answer the door. On the other side was of the doorway was David wearing his characteristic glasses, "You ready to go?" he asked as the two exchanged handshakes

Ja'Keyon watched the interaction between the two and surmised that they were good friends. The boy looked intelligent but wasn't anything special as far as he could tell making Null wonder what his mutant power was. Nova looked back at him and cast a warning glance while the boy looked at him curiously, "Don't try to run away again, I'll find you." Jaqueris said tapping his temple

"Pfft." Ja'Keyon said in respone

There was a moment of tension as the two brothers engaged in a mini staring contest before Jaqueris before the elder broke it, "Oh, David this is my brother Ja'Keyon."

The subject of discussion cringed slightly from being called something other than Null it would take some time before he would be used to no longer be referred to as his designate codename especially if it was by Malcolm.

"What's up." Said the boy politely

Null didn't greet him in return, manners apparently not one of his strong suits, and continued to stare at the boy unblinkingly. He was doing it to see if he could unnerve the boy easily kind of a test of his masculinity if you would.

Feeling an air of awkwardness beginning to set in Jaqueris said, "Ignore him, we have to make a stop before we go to class so let's go."

Jaqueris and David walked down the hallways of the boy's dormitory, "Well, your brother seems…nice." He lied

Jaqueris sighed, "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess he still has a hard time trusting people after what they did to him."

"What did they do to him?"

Jaqueris went tight lipped after that suddenly unsure of if it would be okay to share the descriptive details of their mission. He had told David, Sophia, and Laurie of some things that occurred in Colorado, but not all things namely omitting Megan's death, Ja'Keyon's beating and stranding of Caduceus, and his own rage-fueled destruction of A.I.M.'s base.

"He hasn't told me exactly and refuses to talk about it at length, but I can tell its bothering him on some level."

A thoughtful expression came on David's face as he replied with a simple "Oh". The two walked in silence towards as they continued to walk towards the library.

* * *

><p>Null punched the white tiled wall of the shower room cracking it and sending several white chips to the wet floor. He was angry that he was effectively trapped inside this damned school, between Malcolm's radar sense, the telepaths, and the enhanced senses of X-23 and Wolverine he wouldn't be able to get far enough before he was located and brought back.<p>

The cold water of the shower proved to be useless in calming his rising temper.

No matter how much he raged over it in his mind he knew he was stuck, but for how long was another matter. Malcolm had said he would learn how to teleport soon and once he did his escape was almost assured.

"_I just have to be patient."_ He reassured himself

After taking his shower Null put on a brown short sleeve shirt with a graphic design resembling a clown with a Glasgow smile and a pair of blue jeans with light brown sparrows. It wasn't exactly what he would've picked out but it would do for now.

Stepping in the hallway inside the main building of the institute he was met with the sounds and visages of the Xavier student body. There was a variety of mutants ranging from the physically mutated to those that could fit in any crowd of humans, begging the question of why they were here. Null found himself apprehensive of the sheer number of school mates he would be around now.

Wading through the crowd of people would leave his back exposed and one of the first things he was taught was to never turn your back to a threat.

"_Relax, these guys aren't threats, they're just hormonal teenagers…just like me." _He thought

"Gufff…" Ja'Keyon said as he felt the body weight of another person running into his back as well as the hard edge of a textbook.

Null turned around and was hit with a bombshell when he saw a shapely girl with crimson red hair tied into a pony tail. What kept him from turning around and ignoring the girl however was her silvery metallic skin and featureless eyes. The young assassin found himself staring at the mercurial girl longer than he had intended.

Due to her lacking any pupils Ja'Keyon couldn't tell that she was looking at him nervously, he didn't pick up on it until she pressed her two books closer to her chest and said, "Um…hi."

Her voice was light and fair which caught Null off guard because he expected it to carry a kind of mechanical sound to it. Shaking his head to clear away anymore presumptuous judgments he said, "Hi, you should watch where you're going, not everyone is going to be as cordial about being run into?"

"Yeah…I'm sorry about that. I'll be more careful next time." The redhead said smiling uneasily

The corners of Ja'Keyon's mouth pulled up into a friendly smile something that was involuntary.

The girl moved a stray strand of red hair out of her face, "My name is Cessily by the way Cessily Kincaid." She informed extending her hand

Taking it softly Ja'Keyon found her skin cold to touch but there was unexplainable warmth radiating from their palms. Realizing that he was supposed to say something now he said, "I'm Nu…I mean Ja'Keyon Malcolm."

Saying his true name was like swallowing a bucket full of nails and he even furrowed his face slightly as he said it making him appear as if he'd swallowed something sour. Cessily chuckled at his visage and had to put a hand over her mouth from laughing harder.

Ja'Keyon felt a tepid emotion in his chest at hearing her laughter and his smile brightened, all without his consent.

"Where do you go for first period?" she asked

Suddenly forgetting where he was supposed to be going Ja'Keyon pulled out the sheet of paper showing his classes, "Art, my teacher is…Piotr Rasputin." He shared

"Your first class is with me, I can show you where to go, since you're new. That is if you want me to." She said smiling

"Well, I can't say that I enjoy following the lead of a lady, but sure why not?" He answered regaining some of his level headiness

The two teens stood facing one another oblivious to the dwindling number of students in the hallway; taking a fleeting sweep of the hall Null realized this and said, "So are you going to show me or what?"

Cessily blinked deliberately as she returned to the present with a sheepish grin she said, "Sorry, I just…I mean you…you look a lot like someone I know. Do you have a brother here?"

Ja'Keyon's face faulted at her observation, but he covered it up so that she wouldn't think she had said something inappropriate, "No, I don't." he replied darkly

Cessily's pupil less eyes examined him a bit further before she said, "Alright, we should get going before we're both late for class."

Ja'Keyon nodded as the mutant girl walked past him. He stared at her back a few more seconds before following.

* * *

><p>The library of Xavier's was like many other locations of the school large, ornate, and very clean. Rows of bookshelves lined the room ranging from categories such as Shakespeare or Murder Mystery novels.<p>

Jaqueris was interested in a more relevant topic however, as he stood at the checkout desk, and was trying to draw the attention of the school librarian who was turned away from them looking at something on the computer.

"Xi'an!" called David respectfully

The attractive Asian woman also known as Karma turned around to face the two boys, nibbling on the eraser end of a pencil, "Oh, sorry David I didn't see you two there."

She removed the utensil from her maw and put her elbows on the wooden desk, "How can I help you boys?" she asked cheerfully

"Jaqueris is looking for a book about human/mutant relations. I was wondering if you had that book for him?" said David

Xi'an's eyes seemed to twinkle with pride at hearing the two students visit, "Alright, I'll see what I can find." She said with enthusiasm

Karma disappeared to the back of the library that held books that had yet to be placed on their corresponding shelves. Luckily, she was not gone for an extended amount of time before she emerged with a relatively thick red book with gold ornate writing titled, "House of M" by Brian Michael Bendis.

Jaqueris observed the book carefully, he heeded the saying to never judge something by its appearance but he couldn't help but felt this novel was something different.

"It's a very good read centered on the idea, of mutants being the majority and humans the minority. It's only a what if scenario, but still the way it's portrayed is what makes it worth picking up."

"I read it once, its composed of a bunch of smaller stories that may or may not be related to one another, there's also the main story in there too so it's kind of a long book if you want to read it all." Added David

Convinced that the book was worth at least checking out Jaqueris said, "Okay, I'll take it."

* * *

><p>Null and Cessily were walking at a brisk pace towards the Art classroom and unfortunately for them the door was closed meaning that class was already starting.<p>

"Ah man, I hope he lets us in." prayed Cessily aloud as they stopped at the door

Ja'Keyon looked at her then at the door, "Why? Is he a hard ass or something?"

Snickering at the irony of his presumption she answered, "No way, but he's still a teacher and" Cessily adopted an expression that made Ja'Keyon think she was blushing "this isn't my first time being late."

This made the young mutant quirk his eyebrow skeptically, "You don't exactly strike me as a…truant. You look more like the preppy cheerleader-type."

Sighing she said, "Yeah, but it's not totally my fault, it's always stupid Julian and Santo."

Before Ja'Keyon could inquire about whom those people were the door to the classroom came open caused by the tall muscular Russian, Mr. Rasputin AKA Colossus.

Null and the massive teacher both looked at one another in surprise no doubt remembering the time that Ja'Keyon spent in the lower level prison. The much older man was the first to gather his wits and say in a noticeable accent, "Young man, I know that you are new to this school and it will take you some time to arrive to class on time, so I'm letting you off with a warning, but don't make a habit out of it." He warned and then turned to the silvery girl

The tardy teen felt small under his gaze and sunk her shoulders, Colossus crossed his arms and sighed before saying, "Cessily, this is the second time you've been late. You've been here long enough to know how to get to class on time, I'm afraid I have to give you deten…"

"Hold that thought, comrade, you can't give Cess detention when the only reason she's late is because she was showing me how to get to class."

The Rasputin was obviously suspicious of this evident in the way he eyed the two back and forth, Cessily had on a timid face that probably would've made him doubt the two even further if it wasn't for Null's nearly perfect poker face.

"Sthraf, no detention, but don't expect that excuse to hold up after this." He then moved out of the way to allow them to enter

Recognizing the affirmative Russian term for "fine" Ja'Keyon walked inside of the art class. There were about 15 students' present, wearing aprons, and all of them were in groups sitting on two separate stools in front of two white canvases stretched across wooden frames. In front of them sitting on a desk beside them were an assortment of paint brushes, paint colors, and towels.

As they stepped in all heads turned to the door with Null making eye contact with a raven haired boy with blue eyes, despite how brief their stare down was Ja'Keyon was able to catch the weariness in his eyes.

"_Ex boyfriend I wonder?" _he thought

"Since you two were the last to join us, you both can be partners. We are painting a portrait of someone or something important in our lives. I know this may seem daunting to some of you, but I want you to try your best. Da?"

Colossus then turned and walked to his desk to continue doing whatever art teachers do.

Cessily and Ja'Keyon looked at one another with light-hearted female biting the corner of her bottom lip nervously. Sitting down the two said nothing to one another as they began to paint their pictures.

Cessily began to brush with at least some skill while Ja'Keyon just stared blankly at the canvas before him.

"You know you didn't have to do that?" she finally said

Null raised his brow having to think about what she was referring to when he eventually recalled it he said, "Oh that, would you rather me let you get detention? Besides I figured since I'm new he wasn't gonna punish me for being late and if you were just showing me the way I knew there wouldn't be a problem. No biggie." He said shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly

The mercury mutant seemed to accept this as she continued to stare at the boy with an unreadable expression, not wanting to seem like a weirdo to a boy she just met she turned her attention back to her project and continued painting.

Her partner was not having as much luck because he had yet to make brush meet canvas as he struggled to figure something to draw. As his artistic woes continued Null was able to catch the black haired boy glance at him and then Cessily before turning back to his work.

He did this several times before it began to get on Null's nerves forcing him to ask, "Who is that guy and why does he keep looking over here?"

The girl looked in the direction he was looking in and let out a light scoff, "Oh, that's just Julian."

"Your ex?" he asked giving her a curious look

"No way! He's like…a brother to me." She with an "O" shaped mouth

"Right, I'm sure he wouldn't care." He said under his breath

"What was that?" she asked

Null shook his head from left to right and turned back to his painting, _"Okay, I can do this, I just have to put this brush to this canvas and draw."_

**30 Minutes Later**

"Uh…Ja'Keyon, it's almost halfway through class and you've just been sitting there staring at the canvas." Informed Mercury

"Yeah, I know, I figure it's got to come to me eventually." Null responded without turning to face her

Null moved his eyes to see that Cessily was in the later stages of what appeared to be a face. Judging by the narrow cheekbones and ponytail Null took a guess at it being a portrait of a female.

"Who's that supposed to be?" he asked

She stopped painting for a moment and lowered her hand and began to rub it with her thumb slowly, "It's…supposed to be me before…well…you know my mutation happened."

Null caught her rub her arm subconsciously as she remembered her former appearance. He had a feeling that her appearance was a result of her mutation. Her drooping face only served to confirm this making Ja'Keyon wonder what she could have looked like before her powers manifested.

Turning back towards his canvas he dropped his brush into a paint bottle and said, "I know what I can do now." He said getting up from his stool

"You might want to stand back." He warned

* * *

><p>Jaqueris stopped his head from falling onto his desk for the umpteenth time he wiped the heavy amount of sleep from his eyes as he tried to focus on the lesson Dr. McCoy was teaching. No matter how this subject was going to help him in improving his powers that didn't stop it from being boring.<p>

At a time like this he was glad that he had a friend who could absorb the knowledge of those around him by being in close proximity, it made studying a whole lot easier.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Everyone in the classroom dropped to the floor and Jaqueris found himself now wide awake thanks to the sound of gunfire inside a school.

"Stay where you are students." Said the furry blue man as he made his way to the door

Jaqueris turned to his left and felt relief as he saw that Megan was unharmed as she crouched under her desk. She had her knees close to her chest and was staring straight ahead, the feeling of anxiety almost paralyzing her at the familiar sound of a gunshot.

* * *

><p>The scene in the Art room was very similar to their Physic counterparts, the only difference being that a student was standing up holding a metal piece in his hand pointed at his canvas.<p>

That student was Ja'Keyon and that piece was a sleek silver revolver that had a trail of smoke floating from its barrel, "Now that's what I call art."


	29. Prelude to the Riot

**Prelude to the Riot**

* * *

><p>Null sat with his arms crossed in the deep brown wooden chair, blank eyes staring straight ahead, in front of the desk of the headmaster of Xavier's Institute. A Caucasian man with a head as bald as a baby's ass, but Ja'Keyon could tell his clean shaven cranium housed an impressive and calculating mind.<p>

As much as he appreciated a keen intellect he wasn't exactly admiring the man as that sharp mind was geared towards giving him an appropriate punishment for his actions in class. Behind him was the large Russian named Piotr Rasputin, Null's art teacher. He was holding a thin sheet of metal at his side as "evidence" to the crime that had been committed.

Charles Xavier had his fingers interlocked and his chin placed on top of them as a support while he studied the boy with a stern gaze. The younger Malcolm knew the man was a telepath so he wondered if his mind was being scanned at the moment.

The tense and silent moment was broken when Xavier looked at his new student and said, "I have to ask Ja'Keyon why you would fire a weapon in a classroom full of students and a teacher?"

"Especially to make something as unimpressive as this." Interjected Rasputin holding up the sheet metal

There were bullet holes shot into the ferrous material but they had been fired in such a way that they closely resembled a stereotypical smiley face that a young child might draw. This proved that the pictorial was not done by accident but by a skilled marksman.

Biting down slightly on his tongue at the sound of his name the boy put his hands on the armrests of the chair and said, "I have to admit in hindsight that maybe probably wasn't such a good idea, but in my defense I wasn't shooting at anyone plus I used blanks. It's just that I can't paint and it's art class so I decided to perform some "art" with something I can actually do and that just so happens to be shooting."

Xavier and Rasputin both glanced at one another. The headmaster turned back to the boy and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "In any case it is never acceptable to fire rounds, of any kind, around your fellow students. Is that understood?"

Null furrowed at the authoritative tone being directed at him but knew that engaging in repartee with the man wouldn't make his stay here more enjoyable so he would indulge him, make him think he would be a law abiding student…for now.

"Understood." He answered

The Professor looked at him questionably, having caught the boy's stray thoughts of disobedience, but said nothing of it besides, "You will serve detention until further notice. You will not be allowed to leave campus and your curfew is shortened to 9:30 p.m. Also it will be mandatory for you to participate in training exercises with Logan after school."

At that last bit Null raised his eyebrow as he pondered whether it was really a punishment or not.

"That will be all, Ja'Keyon." Dismissed Xavier

The rebellious youth stared down Xavier with no expression on his face, a tactic he employed when he wanted to intimidate. Normally he'd pick up some tell or sign to show he had succeeded in this endeavor, a twitch of the eye, a momentary break in eye contact, or maybe a brief rub around the throat area, but with the telepathic mutant he got nothing.

The man just stared back squarely with no fear being betrayed by his body. Scoffing Ja'Keyon stood up and left. As his hands neared the doorknob he felt an invasive cringe-inducing voice pop into his head,_ "They don't understand you. You should just leave as soon as possible."_

Null stopped in his tracks and squeezed the doorknob firmly before facing the neatly dressed man behind the desk who was doing a good job of appearing innocent. He received inquisitive looks from both his Art teacher and headmaster which were more than likely justified after what Ja'Keyon said,

"Stay out of my head!" growled Null dangerously

A look of skepticism spread across Xavier's face, "What? Ja'Keyon I didn't…" he began to argue

"You know what don't even bother I'm out of here!" he hissed

The two mutants gave one another differing looks. Ja'Keyon was glaring with contempt evident in his eyes while confusion laced Xavier's orb, Piotr was stuck as a bewildered observer.

Seeing as he was not about to get a confession out of the lying cueball he marched out of the door his mind made up about the amount of time he would wait to leave the damned school. He slammed the door behind him and made his way down the hallway. Leaving the two men inside dumbfound on what had happened and a bent doorknob with the imprint of Ja'Keyon's hand.

"_To hell with this place I'm getting out of here!" _he thought as he trotted heavily toward the exit

To him the invasion of his mind was an offense he could not and would not forgive. Screw telling Malcolm he was leaving he would find out once he saw that he wasn't returning to their room. This decision was final nothing absolutely nothing was going to change his mind.

"Hey, Ja'Keyon, wait up!" called a high voice

Null stopped and turn to find the silvery white girl from earlier walking up to him her red ponytail bouncing behind her. She was greeted with a strange look given by Ja'Keyon whose anger had mysteriously vanished.

"What's that look for?" she asked putting her hands on her hips

"I'm trying to figure out if you're all right in the head or not." He poked her in the forehead lightly prompting her to swat his finger away, "I mean you approach the guy that just fired off a handgun…in a classroom."

Cessily grinned at his presumption, "It's not like you could hurt me anyway. But I have to admit that was pretty stupid shooting up the classroom like that, but at least no one got hurt."

The well being of the other students wasn't of great concern to Null but he didn't let the girl know that for some reason he could tell she wouldn't like that fact too much, why he cared about that he had no idea.

"So I was wondering." She began with a girlish look "You wanna eat with us at lunch? I mean since you're new here and all."

"Us, you mean there are more of you?" he teased

Cessily took the joke in stride and punched him lightly in the shoulder and continued, "Like I was saying why not sit with me, Julian, Santo, and Brian?"

Giving her a bare expression he contemplated this before saying with a shrug, "Why not? Just don't expect me to fall in love with you after eating lunch with you one time."

Cessily rolled her featureless eyes before brightening up again, "Whatever, I'll see you there."

The adolescent then turned and walked away with Ja'Keyon eyeing her. When she was out of sight realization struck him like a bat to the back of the head.

"Wait, did I just agree to stay here longer?" he said aloud to ensure he wasn't imagining it

He had just unwittingly lengthened his time in this god forsaken Institute by a marginal degree and for what just because he was asked to eat lunch at a table with a bunch of teenagers? He slapped himself on the forehead for his stupidity and exhaled.

"At least I have more time to figure out how I can get my money from that fight last night. That idiot Malcolm made me miss my payout when he grabbed me."

He begrudgingly began to walk to his next class. Ethics if he remembered correctly taught by an Emma Frost, _"That should prove to be interesting."_

* * *

><p>Jaqueris and Megan were standing outside, just outside the walls of the school, under the bright sun in athletic clothing. Jaqueris was wearing a white tank top with silver basketball shorts while his female counterpart was wearing a similar shirt clinging to her body with light blue shorts that hugged her figure. Jaqueris noted that the sun reflected off of her pixie wings casting a rainbow colored light behind her back.<p>

They were in Mr. Beaubier's Flight class and today was one of the most enjoyable parts of this curriculum. Since Professor Xavier had been ousted as a mutant and the true nature of his school had been revealed they did not have to venture into the woods to fly.

"I still don't say Dazzler is all that great." Uttered Jaqueris invoking a stunned expression from Megan

"How can you say that? She's only like the greatest performer alive. I'd kill to be in a show with her." Dreamed the pink haired girl

Jaqueris blew a raspberry at her admiration, "I still have my doubts."

Pixie huffed at his dismissal and put her arms over her chest frustrated with her attempts at being unable to convince her boyfriend how great Dazzler really was. She opened her mouth to try again ever the tenacious one.

"Hey, will you two hurry up we're about to start the relay race!" called that haughty voice of Julian Keller who was standing beside Sofia along with the other students of the flight class.

Because there were not many students at the Institute at the moment who could fly the class was limited to six. This suited Jaqueris just fine because he didn't really favor large class sizes.

"Coming Mrs. Keller!" remarked Jaqueris

"That's Hellion to you, Malcolm. And I'd love to see you keep that uppity tone when we beat you today."

"You sure are confident. If we lose I know who to blame then, right?" said Sofia

Keller looked at the Venezuelan as if she had said something sacrilegious, "What do you mean "if we lose " Sof? Malcolm is about as fast paint drying; you can smoke Megan anytime, and don't get me started on Beak."

He was referring to the human-sized chicken-like mutant, named Barnell Bohusk, he had skin resembling an eagle complete with a beak, talons and feathered arms which were folded behind his back like bird wings. He was an example of an extreme case of mutation and stood an inch shorter than Jaqueris at 6'2".

It looked weird to watch his avian features twist into a frown at Julian's taunts, but before he could retort the dark-skinned girl with a deep black afro and fly wings said rather forcefully, "Shut your mouth, Keller!"

Everyone present was surprised at the level of protectiveness she just showed so much so that even Julian was quiet for a moment as he processed what happened. It would make since that she did it because they were both in Xorn's Special Class, but Jaqueris had a feeling it was something else.

"You should listen to your teammates Keller. It would be really embarrassing if you lost after talking so big." Said Jaqueris

Julian glared at the boy as his eyes turned green, "If you're so confident why don't we make this more interesting?"

Jaqueris turned to face him fully and said with piqued interest, "I'm listening."

Julian placed his hand under his chin as he tried to think of something that would be extremely embarrassing and troublesome for Malcolm. His emerald eyes widened as a light bulb brightened in his head.

"I got it! If you lose you have to take one of Wolverine's bikes out for a joyride."

The other three students looked at Julian and then Jaqueris with fearful eyes. To steal anything of value from the berserker mutant was suicide and here was Julian betting Jaqueris to steal one of Logan's precious bikes.

"Come on Julian you're not serious." Said Sofia

"Yeah, that's crazy. Logan would gut anybody that within 5 feet of his bike." Agreed Megan

Jaqueris stared into the condescending eyes of Julian that egged him on, but also held out the hope that he would refuse giving him a reason to clown the boy in front of his peers. Admittedly the task of taking one of Logan's chopper's was not something a sane person would do but then again…

"Deal!" said Jaqueris extending his hand

A look of skepticism mixed with satisfaction flashed across Julian's face before settling into a smug grin. His grabbed Jaqueris' hand tightly as green energy emanated from his palm. Feeling a challenge blue electricity swan around Jaqueris and Julian's hand contrasting with the green power of the telekinetic.

"Good. Oh and if by the grace of God or some other miracle you do win, what do you want?" he asked breaking the blood clotting handshake

"Shut up for a week." He answered quickly

This made Megan and Sofia smile at one another with the possibility that Julian wouldn't be able to use what should have been his mutant power…mouth for that length of time. Keller however looked like someone had told him the funniest joke of all time.

"That's it? That's the best you could come up with?" he said

"I wasn't betting. You should just shut up for a week."

Chuckles from the four students behind him caused the wealthy teen to cast a glare of daggers at them.

"Alright enough talk everyone it's time for the relay race." Said the voice of the pointy eared Canadian mutant

Northstar was holding two green batons in each hand. Jean-Paul Beaubier was a well-muscled man with blue eyes, black hair, and pointed ears which Jaqueris thought was the result of his mutation and not the rumor around school of him being an elf. Many female students had a crush on him due to his model like features, but their fantasies would remain as such given that the man was openly gay.

It didn't take an astute observer to pick up on the haughty air surrounding the man that was not dissimilar from Hellion's attitude.

"I hope you all remember the route but just in case you didn't I'm going to go over it one more time. But only one more time."

The students went silent as they listened to their teacher, "Okay, Megan and Angel will start from here. They'll race around the school once then towards the marker in the forest, it's the big blue flag if you didn't know, and that's where Sofia and Beak will be waiting. Once they've passed the batons on it'll be up to Julian and Jaqueris to finish the race with the finished line being me."

Jean waited for the information to sink in but decided to start things once he got tired of waiting and said, "Alright, everyone get in your positions."

Angel, Jaqueris, Julian, and Megan all flew away to await the arrival of their teammates with the batons. Jean-Paul stayed behind with Sofia and Barnell to start the race.

Sofia looked over at her opponent the boy resembling a fowl was looking at the ground with slumped shoulders.

"What's the matter Barnell?" asked Sofia

"Its just that…I can't fly that long and you control air. There's no way I can beat you."

A sympathetic look came over Sofia's face and she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Let's just have fun, okay? Let Jaqueris and Julian worry about who wins."

The boy seemed to brighten up at her enthusiasm and nodded his head affirmatively. Northstar handed them each a bright green baton.

"Alright, on your mark." Started Jean

Sofia gave the boy a bright smile and stepped to the side a few steps and spread her legs shoulder width apart. Beak did the same and looked straight ahead with a renewed determination in his eyes.

"Get set."

A slight breeze kicked up concentrated at the feet of Sofia as she rose a few inches off the ground and began to hover. Her counterpart stretched the feathery wings behind his back and flapped them once or twice to get them ready for flight.

Jean-Paul shifted his eyes from left to right as he eyed the two young mutants preparing to race, "Go!" he yelled

Before the two could blink Mr. Beaubier disappeared in show of blinding speed leaving behind a small cloud of dust in his wake. Not wasting anytime the two racers sped away Beak flapped his bird-like arms vigorously to obtain flight while Sofia rose into the air with much more elegance and grace.

Barnell was right about one thing Sofia was faster than him. Her wind power allowed the mutant to slice through the air like a hot knife, but luckily for Beak and unlike Julian Sofia wasn't interested in humiliating anyone and subsequently slowed down to allow Beak to keep pace with her.

This act allowed the avian mutant to catch up to her as they rounded the first corner of the school. The two had elevated to the second level of the institute and drew the attention of many students looking out the windows. The rushing wind blew into Sofia's face and ears she really did enjoy flying it was liberating the feeling of soaring above the ground unbound by gravity.

Mr. Beaubier seemingly understood this evident in the races and other activities he allowed. A flash of white feathers flew past her which made her return to the present, Beak had passed her and was now nearing the second corner of the building.

Seeing that her kindness had been taken advantage of she sped up and began tailing the feathery boy.

* * *

><p>Null snapped his head to the right as he caught a glimpse of two shapes rushing past at breakneck speeds outside the window. Even though it was brief he was glad for something to distract him in a class that was proving to be disappointingly boring though the alternative wasn't that bad. He turned his head back to the front of the class being taught by Emma Frost.<p>

She was an extremely voluptuous with all her curves in the right places, full breasts accented by her revealing white top, long blond hair, perfect cheek bones she looked like something out of those magazines young boys hid from their parents. Her snowy clothing did nothing to diminish her appearance in fact it seemed tailor made to show off her womanly figure. People might have found her provocative attire to be a distraction and Ja'Keyon, happily, was one of them.

Taking in her "assets" was disrupted when he heard her say in that chic voice that betrayed her aristocratic upbringing, "Mr. Malcolm I would appreciate it if you pay attention to me _talking_."

Ja'Keyon brought his eyes up to her face and replied with a spacey, "I'm sorry I was…distracted."

The class snickered with childish laughter halted only by a stern glare by the luscious lady, "You would do well to pay attention. Professor Xavier will be joining us today to speak."

"_Yay."_ Thought Null sarcastically

He sat up but kept an indifferent air about him as he stared into her steely azure eyes. They held a mysterious yet piercing energy perfect for unraveling and keeping secrets.

Just as he thought he was going to be forced to actually pay attention the door came open and Professor Xavier made his way inside.

"Hello students." He greeted

"Hello Professor Xavier." Everyone greeted back except Null who was still sour about the good Professor's invasion of his privacy

The headmaster took a quick scan around the room and Null swore he stared into his eyes a second longer than anyone else before he began to speak again, "I will try not to take up too much of your time so let's begin."

That was when Ja'Keyon decided he could better spend his time sleeping than listening to a lengthy lecture and put his head on the desk.

* * *

><p>Jaqueris stretched his limbs thoroughly as he waited for Megan to arrive. Julian was leaning against a tree and had started to stare at him going on a minute now.<p>

"You should be careful Keller you might actually make me blush with all that staring you're doing."

Julian grimaced tightly, "It's weird. You look just like that psycho that shot up the Art room earlier today."

Jaqueris went rigid at this observation, "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, some guy shot a handgun during Mr. Rasputin's class and he looked just like you expect he was shorter and had way more hair, don't tell me you have a crazy brother walking around here?"

Jaqueris turned towards the telekinetic with a frown on his face, "As a matter of fact I do and he isn't crazy."

"This coming from the guy who fried a politician in his car." Quipped Julian

Jaqueris growled and stepped to the boy but stopped when he felt a familiar presence nearing them, "Here comes Angel I guess your girlfriend couldn't keep up."

Just as he said that a pink head of hair appeared behind Angel and was gaining speed on her quickly.

Jaqueris turned to the now scowling face of Julian and said, "You were saying?"

"Shut up, doesn't matter anyway because I'm still gonna beat you." He replied turning around and getting into a runner's stance

Jaqueris did the same and said, "It's going to be nice not having to hear you talk for a week."

The two boys waited for their female teammates to arrive. Despite Megan having increased her speed Angel was still beating her by a good 10 feet and was just enough space for her to arrive first and pass the baton onto Julian.

He shot a conceited look in Jaqueris' direction as green energy surrounded his body, "Don't take too long now."

The conceited teen then lifted into the air before jettisoning forward into the forest. Megan landed shortly after and after taking the baton Jaqueris planted a quick kiss on her cheek, "Thanks."

He then ascended into the trees and zipped through the air to catch up with Julian. Despite his pig-headiness or perhaps because of it the mental mutant was actually pretty fast and the fact that he had a head start over Jaqueris didn't help.

The two fly birds bobbed and weaved as they avoided the various tree branches in their path. At the speed they were going the surroundings appeared only as a mesh of green and brown accented by the bright light that peeked through the leaves. The gentle whisper of the wind was now an impressive roar as it filled their eardrums and ran coolly over their skin.

Julian was enjoying his comfortable lead and given the fact that he was fast approaching the finish line he took the time to turn around mid-flight and wave at Jaqueris with a cocky smirk. He continued like this until he felt a strange force pull him in the direction of his adversary.

His smile disappeared as he struggled with his telekinesis to push forward, but this pull was proving to be insistent. His was now moving with less than half of his original momentum evident as Jaqueris closed in on him and eventually passed him a rush of leaves trailing behind.

As soon as he did so Julian felt the pull disappear and it didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

"I never thought you had it in you, Malcolm." Muttered Julian resentfully

Jaqueris smiled to himself as he flew past Julian, _"Okay, I know that using my powers to slow Julian could be considered cheating…a little, but come on this is Julian after all. I wouldn't put it past him if he was in a same position."_

His attempt at justifying his dishonest behavior was interrupted when a tree branch, which had a enigmatic green energy surrounding it, suddenly snapped back and impacted him in his stomach. The blow knocked the wind out of him as he fell to the forest floor clutching his gut.

Through his open eye he saw Keller fly above him toward Mr. Beaubier who was waiting patiently for their arrival. Grunting and still holding his aching stomach and now bruised ego he flew pathetically toward his teacher.

Julian landed beside Northstar with a triumphant smile plastered across his mug. Jaqueris floated over to join them the pain now radiating from his side. He tried to avoid eye contact with the victorious Julian as he didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing him in his defeated state.

"What happened to you?" asked Jean-Paul

Jaqueris put his hands on his knees as he keeled over the feeling of nausea becoming and said, "Julian cheated that's what. He made a tree branch smack me in my stomach." He explained carefully avoiding the fact that he cheated first

Julian was not about to let that little detail be missed however when he said, "Only after you pulled a Star Trek on me and used a tractor beam to slow me down."

Ignoring the fact that Star Trek didn't have invisible tractor beams Jaqueris said standing up, "Prove it, Keller!"

The two warring teenagers stepped toward one another only to be stopped when their elf eared teacher stepped between them, "That's enough the race is over now so there's no need to show bad sportsmanship."

The rest of flight class arrived as Northstar broke up the two. The tension between the Julian and Jaqueris must've been extremely apparent because the group was silent at first.

"So…uh who won?" asked Barnell

Jaqueris glowered as Julian turned to him and gave him a derisive smile, "Oh and Jaqueris remember our bet."

Nova rubbed his face as he recalled the terms of agreement.

* * *

><p>"Now does anyone have any questions?" asked Charles Xavier<p>

Null woke up at this moment a smidge of drool on the side of his mouth. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked around the classroom and observed that no one raised their hand yet.

He smiled internally and thought, _"Serves him right."_

His momentary happiness was crushed however when a hand shot into the air. It belonged to a purple haired boy his hair cut on the sides, with brown eyes, the lines around his eyes showed that he just recently stopped wearing glasses. He was wearing a red and black striped no sleeve sweater over a buttoned shirt matched with blue pants and black boots and was sitting in the desk right in front of Xavier at the front of the class.

"Quentin, yes, please ask your question." Offered Xavier

A few snickers were heard around class and Null supposed they were directed at the boy, _"He must not be too popular around here."_

Quentin ignored them however and asked, "Do you think portrayals of mutants in the media have advanced at all since you opened your school?"

This intelligent question seemed to have caught the Doctorate wielder off guard if only a little as he rubbed his chin. Null enjoyed seeing his discomfort no matter how slight it was.

"Certainly, however, in light of the work that has been done to mend the rift between humans and mutants, especially in the wake of Opening Day, I must say that clothing such as yours seems a little…provocative."

"_Ouch, that's gotta hurt the ego." _Thought Null

After he thought this the boy talking to Xavier turned around and looked him dead in the eye which surprised Null before turning back to the Professor.

"Well, Professor, my clothes are a part of a creative history project if you will. I think it's time that young mutants reclaimed some of the offensive imagery produced by bigots and propagandists in the mass media." Standing up, Quentin added "I wanted to use Open Day to make a strong, confrontational statement about how far we've all come from those dark days of persecution. That's all Professor."

"_What's up with this guy? Does he think he's some short of messiah or something?"_ thought Null once again but found himself leaning forward in his desk

Xavier didn't seem phased by his response and said, "Your outfit certainly achieves that Quentin, but we prefer to examine non-confrontational pathways here at Xavier's and I must say your attire aside you have definitely taken a stark change in the past few weeks."

Null's eyes shifted to the boy the same as the rest of the class who were now engrossed in this ongoing argument between the two opposing philosophies.

"All I've done is grown up a little and look at things from a different perspective…a higher perspective if I do say so myself."

Null chuckled lightly at the boy's obviously high opinion of himself and continued to listen.

"And we are very proud of you Quentin, but in three days time Xavier will be opening its doors to mutants and humans alike and I would hope to avoid any confrontations." He countered skillfully

Null had to give it to the man he was effectively holding off his student's more aggressive approach to rhetoric in a dignified and respectful manner.

"_Shows leadership and brains, but it's also the mark of a liar."_

"This is not why I came here today however." Said Xavier turning towards Emma who had been seated this entire time.

The potential playboy bunny stood and held up a black inhaler with red circled X on it, "This is the reason." She said

Confused Null turned to Quentin to see his reaction and noted that he saw a flicker of fear before it was snuffed out mercilessly.

"You should all own up for those who are intimately familiar with this drug. The Professor came here today to find out if any of you have been "on the puff" as they say."

Null wasn't in the category of "intimately familiar" so he felt no pressure about confessing, but he wondered why the two telepaths didn't just read minds and find out who was currently or had previously used the drug.

Suddenly Quentin said stone-faced, "This is ridiculous. I have a more important question if my clothes are provocative isn't it also provocative to invite **humans** into a school of mutants? Didn't mutants just support genocide by providing weapons to massacre 16 million of our people in Genosha? Didn't they also just murder one of premier artists in Jumbo Carnation? We are always under threat from them yet you invite them to come learn with us?"

Null shifted in his desk he was completely unaware that mutant-kind had taken such a damaging blow to its population. The sleep now completely purged from his system he was now listening intently to what the two were going to reveal next.

Xavier didn't respond immediately and instead took the inhaler from Emma and said, "This drug, this Kick is an immediate threat to _all _of us. I do not stand before you to tell you what to do, but we have valid evidence that suggests that Kick is a potent neuro-toxin. Using these inhalers can irreparably damage the X-gene. Think before you act if you want to protect yourselves then arm yourselves with knowledge."

Null found himself focusing unbreakably on the conversation between the two and given the fact that he normally didn't care about human/mutant relations that was saying something.

"I'm getting tired of this." Whispered a voice beside Null

He looked to his left to spot a hefty boy with red hair and boyish freckles who was arming himself with a straw. He popped a piece of paper in his mouth and began to chew.

"_Juvenile."_ He thought

As the boy raised the hand with the straw intending to fire one at the back of Quentin's head Null's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. The boy turned his blue orbs onto Ja'Keyon and grimaced in pain as his wrist was twisted in an unnatural way.

"If you fire that spit ball I'm going to break it." Null whispered threateningly to him before letting him go

The plump boy grabbed his wrist and bit his bottom lip to prevent from screaming out. Null dismissed him as soon as he let his wrist go and turned back to Quentin and Xavier. They seemed to have ceased their verbal sparring when Xavier concluded with his knowledge bit.

"_Aaaahhh man, is that it?"_

"Oh, there's one more thing Professor. You may not know this but my clothes are based off of designs by the late Jumbo Carnation." Turning to address the class Quentin said, "You all may not know this but Jumbo was murdered in the streets like an animal the other night and yet no suspects have been apprehended. Jumbo Carnation dreamed that one day mutants could walk alongside humans on the walkways just like _I _dream of a world where I don't have to sit side by side with his murderer."

The class fell silent as Quentin finished his last utterance. Null was still surprised that Jumbo Carnation was the blue corpse they had encountered the night before.

"_I didn't know he designed clothes for mutants."_ At this thought Null realized he didn't know a lot about mutants as a whole. Imagine that he didn't understand his own race.

"Quentin you should know that just because some birds are black that doesn't make all of them blackbirds. You are falling into a logical error." He started

The boy crossed his arms and eyed the Professor with a gaze similar to the one Null had given him and listened as Xavier said, "You as well as anyone else that I have always encouraged you to dream."

Quentin sat down in his desk and leaned back with a stubborn look on his face, "I wonder what would happen if we had a dream you didn't like?"

The bell rang signifying the end of class. Every student inside seemingly forgot about the top notch debate that had transpired a few minutes ago the thought overshadowed by the fact that it was lunch time. As Ja'Keyon slung his book bag over his shoulder his mind lingered on the Xavier's and Quentin's face off.

The Professor stayed behind to talk to Ms. Frost a little longer as the class emptied. Ja'Keyon was nearing the door when he heard.

"I heard your thoughts today in class." He said cordially

Null turned around to face Quentin feeling that any respect he had earned was slipping away quickly when he revealed his snooping inside his mind, "Yeah, what of it?" he said bluntly

The boy held up his hands in a defensive manner and said, "First I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't doing it willingly. It's just sometimes stray thoughts enter my head when I'm not consciously trying to keep them out."

Null narrowed his eyes suddenly suspicious of the boy's motives, "If you have a point make it."

The boy gave a nervous smile and walked around Ja'Keyon who followed him closely with his eyes, "Well, in light of your less appropriate thoughts." Null knew he was referring to the "nerd" comment "I could tell you were interested, invested almost."

Null crossed his arms and studied the boy with scrutiny. He wasn't particularly interested in what the lad was saying talking in his roundabout way was only serving to annoy him.

Sensing this Quentin said, "Look all I'm saying is if you want to learn more than meet me in Room 1610 in the dormitory. A couple of like-minded people and I are heading into town tonight."

An idea began to form in Ja'Keyon's head when he mentioned that he was heading into town, his features softened slightly and he said, "To do what exactly?"

The boy smiled devilishly and said, "You'll see." Before walking into the hallway, but turned around and said, "Oh and this has been bugging me so I have to ask. Do you have a brother or something at this school? Because you look awfully familiar."

Null hardened his attributes and said in a straightforward manner, "No."

Quentin nodded and gave one last smile, "Guess I imagined it then." He then left the classroom

Null watched him go curious as to what the boy was planning and said aloud, "Yeah, I guess you did."

* * *

><p>Lunchtime came and Ja'Keyon ventured to the cafeteria alone. It was just like any other café he supposed, loud and filled with teenagers spreading the latest gossip about. He was deciding on where to sit when the preppy former cheerleader turned mercury skinned mutant came over to him to remind of him of his promise. If he was anything he was a man of his word so he followed her to the table she was sitting at.<p>

The tray he had held a slice of cheese pizza, a few hot wings, a cheeseburger, and a chocolate chip cookie. While he was with A.I.M. he wasn't allowed to indulge in sweets with the strict diet they provided so now that he had the chance he was going to pig out.

She held a tray with a much more modest meal, a salad with ranch dressing. Seeing this Ja'Keyon wondered why she bothered to eat at all being made of mercury meant she wasn't organic so that meant food was unnecessary. Putting it out of his mind he stared ahead as they approached her table.

Seated also was the boy who continuously stared at Ja'Keyon in Art class who now had a skeptical gaze about him. This was shared with the dark-skinned dread haired boy and the craggily stone behemoth.

Null felt like he was under a microscope as the three stared at him. This was only stopped when Cessily said, "Stop staring you guys. You're embarrassing him."

The three broke their laser eye contact as the rock giant said, "And who might "him" be?"

Null took note of his incorrect grammar and deduced that he wasn't the brains of this little grouping, ""He" has a name and its Ja'Keyon…Malcolm."

He ground his teeth together at mentioning his last name and waited for their replies. The three of them shared looks before the black boy said, "Wait! Malcolm you mean like Jaqueris Malcolm? Don't tell me you're his brother."

Ja'Keyon cursed the boy for picking up the similar surnames and wanted to punch him, but refrained from doing so and calmly said, "No, I'm not."

"That's not what he said." Added Julian leaning back in his seat

Now everyone stared at Null expecting an answer Cessily being the most prominent. He couldn't say he was enjoying the attention in fact it was starting to irritate him a little but he didn't show it and instead said, "Fine, yes he's my brother, but I don't claim him. The guy is a real buzz kill and I'm ashamed to say I'm actually related to him."

The four students all were silent as the truth came to light. Null was expecting them to reject him and already had a witty comeback prepared for just such an incident. This made it real surprising when the three boys burst into laughter.

Cessily and Ja'Keyon looked at one another with befuddled expressions.

Julian managed to stop laughing as he said, "Any guy that's an enemy of Malcolm is a friend of mine."

"Yeah come sit down with us." Invited Santo

Cessily smiled at her Ja'Keyon and walked over to the table. She leaned in towards Julian and whispered, "Thank you."

The boy muttered an "Anytime" as she sat down. Null took a seat beside Brian and made himself comfortable. The topics of conversation for the next few minutes ranged from current relationships to favorite teachers. Most of the time Null only observed adding in a comment when he was asked about something.

Eventually this would not be sufficient when Cessily asked, "Oh that reminds me. Ja'Keyon who did you pick as your advisor?"

He raised a brow oblivious as to what she was talking about, "If you tell me what you mean I can tell you."

Julian interjected, "It's like this you pick a teacher who you can go to to talk about stuff bothering you or whatever. You can pick anyone like Wolverine if you're crazy or you can do like we did and pick a cool one like Ms. Frost."

"Yeah, she lets us have pizza and stuff when we have meetings." Added Santo

"She even let us pick our own codenames." Said Brian

Null didn't find all of this terribly great because he didn't have anything he wanted to talk about with these teachers and what was all this business about codenames. He thought this was a school.

"What are your codenames?" he asked

The four brightened up noticeably at this. Julian was the first to go and Null was beginning to suspect that he like it that way, "Mine is Hellion. I named it after the first batch of students Ms. Frost taught."

"Mine's Rockslide on account of you know I'm made of rocks." Said Santo dimly

"Tag, because if I touch someone I can make other people run away or come to them." Revealed Brian

"And mine should be obvious. It's Mercury even though I'm not actually made out of it I just share a few similarities to it."

After sharing their own codenames the four looked at Ja'Keyon expecting him to tell his own. He considered saying "Null" but that name had so many bad memories attached to it now and a lot of pain as well. Thinking for a moment he decided on something that fit him well.

"Rebel. Cause a lot of people here think I'm one since I shot up a classroom and got detention on my first day of school."

The other's seemed content with his explanation and continued to other things. While they chatted away Jaqueris kept reiterating the new name he had bestowed on himself.

"_Rebel, I'm not Null anymore, but Rebel."_ He thought

Jaqueris watched his brother walked past him without saying a word and saw when he and Cessily stood in front of Brian, Julian, and Santo like they were on trial. When the trio started laughing he was about to rise from his seat and go over there, but witnessing the inviting motion Julian made with his hand he stayed put.

He was sitting beside Megan along with David, Sofia, and Laurie. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a piece of meatloaf move toward his mouth at the end of the fork.

"Hello, are you in there Jaqueris?" teased Megan bringing the fork back to her

"Huh?" said Jaqueris absentmindedly

The others were looking at him strangely because he had stopped talking and began staring ahead for a few minutes.

"I think he's still mad over the fact that he lost to Julian in that race today." Said Sofia

Jaqueris narrowed his eyes at her causing her to avoid eye contact as a smile formed in the corner of her mouth.

"No, I'm over that. I'm just worrying about how to take Wolverine's bike." He said plainly

Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing to stare at Jaqueris like he'd grown an extra head. The eyes of the girls seemed especially large when he told them.

Megan was the first to speak up, "You're not actually planning on doing that are you?"

"Actually…"

Doing what now?" said Josh's voice as he joined them at the table

The mutant healer put a cup of lemonade to his lips waiting for the others to explain what was happening, "Jaqueris is planning on taking Wolverine's bike." Said Laurie

Josh just about choked on the beverage in his throat, putting the glass on the table he began to cough deeply, but managed to say, "What are you crazy?"

"Wait, I'm not…" he began

"What made you even think of doing that in the first place?" asked David

Frustrated at being interrupted again he opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Megan, "It was this stupid bet he and Julian had."

"Yeah I know that's why…" he started once again

"It's just Julian being Julian though. You shouldn't take him seriously, he'll probably forget tomorrow." Said Sophia

"Guys!" Jaqueris almost yelled to prevent anyone else from interrupting him

Seeing as he got all of their attention he said, "I'm not going to do it. I was only joking." He explained slowly

Their features went from one of alertness back to their natural calm disposition, "Well, that's good." Said Megan

"Yeah, I don't think I could heal a decapitation." Remarked Josh

"You'd have to be crazy to try and take something from Logan." Said David

Jaqueris chuckled softly and said, "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

><p><strong>That Night<strong>

Then he must be crazy because he was seriously considering trying to steal that bike as he sat at his desk. It wasn't that he wanted to do it or anything, but he was a man of his word and it would feel wrong of him to not keep it. He had tried to distract his mind from this by talking to Ja'Keyon about the incident in Colossus' class but that only earned him a quick rebuff.

His brother was now lying lazily in bed staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't said a word for at least 10 minutes seemingly content with just lying in silence.

Jaqueris wondered if all their nights together would be like this. When they were living in the Bronx Ja'Keyon could talk to his older brother about anything and Jaqueris would sometime confide in him, but now he seemed so distant.

"I'm going to the bathroom." The younger sibling stated

An indicative feeling in his head told Jaqueris that he was lying, but he didn't call him on it, because his mind was partially distracted by the bet he made and allowed his brother to leave the room unopposed.

As Ja'Keyon closed the door behind him he was surprised at how easy that was. He had suspected Malcolm to try and stop him by bombarding him with a plethora of questions or physically restraining him when he refused to answer, but his mind seemed clouded with other thoughts.

He went in the opposite direction of the bathroom heading to room 1610. The numbering made it child's play to find, but it took him five minutes because it was on the far side of the dormitory. As he neared the door he went over the plan in his head one more time.

"_I'm going to go with these losers to Mutant Town and while they're doing whatever it is they plan on doing I'm going to return to the fight club and get my money." _He thought cleverly

Knocking on the door he heard the voice of Quentin on the other side, but it wasn't him that opened the door. Instead a dark-skinned boy with cornrows, entirely white eyes that made him look blind, and attire identical to Quentin answered the door he was eye level with Ja'Keyon so he couldn't see who was in the room.

He didn't move out of the way and instead asked in the manner of a security guard, "Who are you?"

Rebel was getting tired of having to tell people his wretched name so he said, "Quentin told me to come."

The purple hair of the telepath popped into view as he heard Ja'Keyon's familiar voice and his name being called, "Let him in Christian."

The boy gave him one last once over before moving aside to allow entrance. Rebel stepped inside and saw that the room wasn't too different from the others in the dormitory except there were multiple newspaper clippings on the wall with most bearing titles related to acts of mutant hate crimes or the deaths of mutants.

Looking behind Quire, who was sitting in a chair against the wall, he saw a notable newspaper picture of Jumbo Carnation in black and white the headline reading "Mutant Artist Found Dead in Mutant Town".

Surveying the room further Null saw that besides Quire there were four faces he didn't recognize. The guy at the door named Christian, a girl with a shaved head and many tattoos over her dark-skin wore a red and black strapless top with bottom clothing matching the others, another boy was present with a haircut like Quire's but lacking the dye showing his natural golden hue, and the last person present couldn't be identified as male or female.

This was because he was a giant standing at 6'5" made up of a pink substance resembling wax. The wax was bulky and his entire skeleton and major organs could be seen floating on the inside his bizarre appearance punctuated by his eyeballs floating in front of his eye sockets.

All of them had the distinction of wearing exact copies of the same outfit.

"_What have I gotten myself into?"_ Ja'Keyon thought sardonically temporarily forgetting about Quire's telepathy

"Ja'Keyon so glad you could join us. I'd like to introduce everyone." Pointing to the muscular boy that opened the door for him he said, "That's Christian Cord AKA Radian, this little minx beside me is his sister Christine Cord or Tattoo." The girl gave Quentin a flirtatious look at being called "little girl" but said nothing

"_Those two have something going on."_

He then pointed in the corner of the room to the large mass of living wax and said, "You've no doubt noticed Robert Herman you can call him Glob Herman."

Ja'Keyon thought he was joking calling him that name, but given that there were no snickers or hidden smiles he knew that he was being serious. "Lastly we have Vincent Stewart whose mutant name is Redneck."

"_How appropriate."_

"Charmed, now what is it you plan on doing tonight?"

Quentin answered with a devious smirk.

Jaqueris rubbed his clean cut head vigorously in frustration he wasn't going to figure out a solution to his dilemma by sitting here. He could just tell Julian to stuff in where the sun doesn't shine, but then he knew the boy would never let him live it down if he didn't go through with his end of the bargain.

He slammed his hands on the desk and groaned. Looking out at the starlit sky through his window he suddenly remembered, "Where is Ja'Keyon?"

His brother had told him he was going to the bathroom and while his powers alerted him to the fact that he was lying he hadn't paid any attention to it. Only now did he realize his foolishness by letting his brother walk out unsupervised.

Remembering the boy's penchant for truancy and late nights he got up from his desk to investigate. Putting his fingers to his head he utilized radar sense to pinpoint where Ja'Keyon was. It revealed that he was walking off campus with five other signatures he didn't recognize.

"What the hell is he up to now?" he said to himself as he broke into a jog towards the balcony of the dormitory

By the time he arrived his brother was already outside following the militantly dressed students of Xavier. Jaqueris recognized Quentin despite his new look, but the other four were a mystery to him.

Jaqueris didn't particularly trust Quire and given the fact that his brother was not supposed to be out past 9:30 and it was now going on 11 o' clock he was mistrustful of their intentions.

"_I could just float down there and make him come back, but that won't let me figure out what they're up to."_

Jaqueris levitated from the gallery and began to follow the group. He kept at a reasonable distance but just to be safe he made himself invisible.

As the group made their way through the dark streets of Salem Center he kept pondering over the intentions of the group. He knew from his encounter with the boy that Quentin was trouble he seemed to be an advocate of mutant civil rights almost extremely so. Though that still didn't reveal what his objective was.

On the ground the hairs on the back of Ja'Keyon's neck were standing up caused by the sensation of being followed. He stopped and checked behind him and saw nothing, but the feeling was still with him.

He stood out from the others because he wasn't wearing the same clothes as them. His black coat over a black shirt complete with green camo pants and boots contrasted with their satiric clothing sharply. They had tried to force him to wear, but he refused with enough authority that they didn't try a second time.

By now the group had arrived in mutant time and the night stars were hidden behind dark clouds that had formed. The decrepit and slum like environment was familiar to him.

"Rain is coming Quire. What is it exactly that you plan on doing tonight?" he said causing the group to stop

Jaqueris landed in an alleyway behind them but kept his invisibility active as he peered around the corner. Quentin half turned to him and pulled out the inhaler containing Kick. Jaqueris' eyes widened at seeing the cursed container that always seemed to find its way back into his life.

"This is Hypercortisone D also known as Kick. It can increase the power of a mutant five times for five hours."

Ja'Keyon raised his brow at this piece of information and watched as the four shared the bottle. As they each took a puff a look of euphoria showed on their faces until eventually it came to him. Redneck held it out to him and Rebel stared at it for a minute.

Ja'Keyon watched as he brother contemplated taking the drug. The memories of power and ecstasy that encompassed him when he had used the drug were still fresh in his mind, but the recall of the violent rage also remained fresh.

When he took it in that hotel garage he immediately felt unstoppable like he had all the power in the world and he wanted to use it. It was only convenient that he had those bigots around to lash out at. He wondered what he would have done with all that power if he didn't have someone to direct it at.

Rebel stared at the inhaler with inquisitiveness, he had never done drugs willingly before. The only time being when he was overdosed on MGH by Caduceus during one of his torture sessions.

That feeling was absolutely euphoric in nature. He remembered getting the urge to just jump up and cut loose with his abilities, the buzz encouraging him to let all moral restraints go and have fun. It was empowering yet fearful at the same time, Ja'Keyon didn't like not being in complete control of his actions feeling like he was a puppet on a string.

And yet that feeling, he wanted more of it, to experience that unmistakable sensation of omnipotence wash over him. So with his dubious thoughts pushed to the back of his mind he reached his hand out slowly to take the bottle.

"No!" yelled an irritating voice

As it rang in the air a blue streak of electricity raced towards them and shocked Redneck in the hand causing him to retract in pain.

"Ah…dammmit!" he screamed holding his now burnt hand

The Kick bottle fell to the ground melted beyond recognition. Rebel, along with the others, turned around in the direction the bolt came from and saw Nova standing there with his hand outstretched.

"Malcolm!" cursed Ja'Keyon aloud

The buzzkill stalked over to his younger brother and grabbed his collar, "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Adopting his own frown he pushed the boy's hands off of him and said, "Minding my own business! You should try it sometime!"

Anger and disappointment were laden across his face as he stared down Ja'Keyon, "Ja'Keyon do you know what that is?" he asked pointing to the melted bottle on the ground

The disruptive teenager looked at the inhaler and said, "First of all, don't call me that, my name's Rebel and second of all it's **my business**!" he said with emphasis

Nova greeted his teeth in agitation he could now relate to a parent when they were arguing with a hardheaded child, "You're wrong, you're my brother, so it's my business too!"

The four radical mutants had been watching silently the verbal exchange between the two but finally got involved when Radian said, "Brother?"

"I thought you said you didn't have one?" said the bio-paraffin giant

"Of course he's my brother you idiots we have the same last name!" informed Jaqueris

The two mutants stared daggers at the mouthy boy.

"It doesn't matter anyway we're his family now." Uttered Quentin

Not only did Jaqueris take issue with this, but so did Ja'Keyon who said, "Hold up, don't go getting any ideas. I don't have a family! The whole point of me coming here was to get my money back, but with Mr. Buzzkill coming here that's not going to happen so I'm out."

He then began to walk past his brother as those behind him stared with agape expressions. As he neared Jaqueris he saw the older boy's hand shoot out and grab his elbow. The thought of snapping his arm in two quickly popped into his mind, but he repressed it for some unknown reason.

"We're not finished here." Said Jaqueris

Snatching his arm away from his brother Jaqueris stood tall as the two eyed one another like a couple of predators fighting over the same strap of meat.

This intense session of eye contact was broken when Jaqueris felt his foot impacted by an unseen force. He lunged forward a little and looked down to see his foot covered in pink goo of some kind.

"What the hell?" he said trying the free the foot that seemed glued to the pavement

Rebel looked behind Malcolm to see a sizable chunk of pink wax missing from Glob's body. Walking past Jaqueris he began, "Just what do you think…"

He stopped and clutched his head as a throbbing pain sprung up out of nowhere. It was so intense that he fell to the ground on both knees as veins began to pop out across his forehead. Looking forward he saw Quentin with his index and middle fingers pressed against his temple and his face in a concentrated contortion.

"Aaaagggg…" Ja'Keyon groaned as the pain intensified

"Ja'Keyon, what's wrong!" asked Jaqueris worriedly

His eyes were now bulging but he managed to say with difficulty, "Qu…Quire."

Nova looked and saw how much the boy was focusing and remembered that Quentin was a telepath. His eyes lit up with a white light as he narrowed them at the four mutants, "That's enough!" he yelled

Then two parallel beams of white UV light burst from his eyes directed at the group. The quartet's all showed surprise at his sudden attack and dove out the way as the light soared over their heads.

The telepathic assault ceased on Ja'Keyon and he gasped for air as sweat dropped to the ground.

"Keyon are you okay?" asked his elder

Looking up at Nova he gave him a stupid look and said in between breaths, "What…do you think?"

He then collapsed onto the ground unconscious. Jaqueris felt rage swell in his chest as he said, "You guys are gonna pay for that!"

He then focused his beams on his foot and shot his eye lasers at a single point. Unfortunately the blast wasn't precise enough and while he succeeded in ridding the pink mess he also managed to burn away his entire shoe, sock and a good portion of his pant leg as well as burn his foot.

"Ouch!" he yelled as he hopped on one leg

Seeing an opportunity Quentin ordered, "Glob, grab him now!"

The massive mutant obeyed and ran with speed uncharacteristic of his size and locked Jaqueris in a bear hug. The wax was soft and mushy like paste but that didn't help Jaqueris' back from cracking as Glob squeezed tightly.

Jaqueris wailed in pain as it felt like his spine was about to break. He put his hands on Glob's shoulders and squeezed not as a defensive maneuver but as a way to reduce the pain. With his hands on his gooey shoulders however an idea came to his head.

A blue static like light came to life around Jaqueris' mitts as he tried to focus his energies. Seeing this his tormentor said, "Electricity won't work on my body so you'd better try something else."

"Guh…glad you know your basic chemistry." Jaqueris then formed his blades made out of pure electricity and sliced through Glob's shoulders bone, wax and all until they came out the other side. The blades made a sound reminiscent of a lightsaber as they sliced and melted his arms.

"Woah!" Glob said in disbelief at losing both of his appendixes

Landing on the ground Jaqueris almost buckled under the stress on his back coupled with his burned foot, but he couldn't afford to rest. Rushing forward and ignoring the sting in his sole he did the same to Glob's legs as his arms and cut them off.

They fell to the side as Glob's body fell forward prompting Jaqueris to disengage his weapons, grab his brother, and move safely out of the way.

"Hey, that's not fair! Help me up!" pleaded the helpless mutant

Jaqueris set his brother down and put a hand on his aching gristle. He then turned to his left just in time to see a concentrated light burst from the body of the boy with cornrows. Nova was blinded immediately and he covered his now stinging eyes.

During this whiteout he could hear Quentin say, "Good job Radian, now Redneck take him out."

He was now in a particularly dangerous situation, he was blinded and was about to be set upon by a fanatical mutant supremacist.

Just then a blessing must have befallen him because his eyes adapted to the light in an instant and he could see clearly as Redneck tried to grab his face with shining red hands. Not wanting to find out what would happen if his face met his hands he repulsed the boy with a wave of gravity.

He flew through the air, smashed into Radian and managed to carry him into a car where they both crashed into roughly. Redneck let out a groan as he and Radian fell forward an impressionable dent now present in the red car.

"That was impressive, now hold still." Said a voice behind him

Jaqueris turned around fast enough to avoid a swipe from the bald headed black girl with Tattoo's all over her body.

"Why does everyone keep trying to grab my face!" he stated as he sidestepped the girl

"Don't flatter yourself." She said rushing him again

Jaqueris fired a weak bolt of lightning to knock her out, but it only passed through her harmlessly not even burning her clothes. A look of disbelief came over Nova's face as he backed away from another attempt to grab him.

Seeing his expression Tattoo said, "I can phase through solid matter, but you should see what happens if I soldify inside a human."

As Nova backed away trying to think of how to deal with the girl his foot ran across a manhole and a stroke of genius struck him. He waited for the girl to step in front of the manhole and when she raised her foot to take the next step Jaqueris flicked his wrist causing the manhole slide to the side. She now had no surface to step on and fall through the opening in the ground.

Her frightened screams could be heard echoing before a wet splash signaled she had hit the bottom.

Jaqueris cringed as he thought about the bodily wastes she was probably swimming in. Looking around he saw that the majority of the gang was now defeated except for…

Jaqueris turned around as his head was grabbed by Quire who uttered, "Sleep."

A lethargic drowsiness overtook Jaqueris as he felt his legs go limp and lifeless. His eyes felt like weights were attached to them as they hung low. Before unconscious took him Jaqueris clenched his fist sending a current to his hand.

His mind temporarily sharpened allowing him to punch Quire in the jaw with an electrically charged punch making him stubble and fall to the ground. Jaqueris then fell backwards unable to stay awake any longer.

Quentin sat up felt his aching jaw and spit a small pool of blood from his mouth. It was already starting to swell and would be really painful tomorrow, but as of now he had more pressing matters.

Standing up he observed the result of the battle that just occurred, his gang was in ruins thanks to one boy. Looking down at him he considered placing him in a coma, but decided against it.

"_We're still all mutants after all. Besides I have another solution."_

Kneeling to the floor he placed his fingers on the boy's head and began the process.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry I haven't updated lately, but I've been at a summer program. I'm really glad to get this chapter out of the way because I'm getting closer to starting my new arc and I promise you it will blow your minds.<p> 


	30. Do You Remember?

**Prelude to the Riot:**

**Do You Remember?**

"Hey, wake up!" said a far off voice

Jaqueris opened his eyes half way and was greeted by a blurry representation of a person leaning over him. Feeling tired he closed his eyes again and tried to get some sleep on his unusually hard pillow. He heard the person sigh in exasperation when he did this.

"Okay, I tried being nice." He added

Jaqueris peeked through one eye to see a fuzzy fist bearing down on his face. He snapped his eyes open when it connected with his nose and leaned forward hoping it wasn't bleeding.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded clutching his snout

His normal vision returned to him shortly and he was able to make out his surroundings more clearly, but that only served to confuse him even more. He wasn't in his dorm room that he shared with his brother instead both of them were outside in the baking sun.

His head and shirt were covered in sweat and he had sitting in the middle of the road. An ache in his neck made him rub there gently before he was forced to use his other hand for the same function due to a developing headache.

"W…where are we?" he asked dumbfounded

Ja'Keyon was crouched beside him and said, "Mutant Town, I don't know how we got here, but I do know why."

He held up a sizeable empty whiskey bottle that had the cap missing.

"Aw man, I can't believe this." Jaqueris said putting his face in his hands which he noticed smelled of alcohol

Ja'Keyon concurred with, "I know I hate this brand." He sniffed the bottle in disgust

Ignoring the fact that his 11-year old brother who looked 16 was familiar with the different brands of alcohol he said, "We have to get back to school."

Ja'Keyon placed the bottle on the ground and said hopefully, "Why, I'm pretty sure we've missed school for the day which means it's the weekend."

The elder gave him a reproachful stare and said, "All the more reason why we need to get back before we get in major trouble."

Ja'Keyon stared at him blankly before saying, "I care about this why?"

"Just…come on. I smell funky and need to wash." Jaqueris commanded as he stood up slowly

Ja'Keyon sniffed the air and then retracted with his face furrowed as he waved his hand in front of his nose, "Don't forget to brush either."

Jaqueris gave him a none too polite finger gesture before he noticed something was amiss with his attire.

"What happened to my pants and where's my shoe and sock?" he said looking at his burnt pant leg

His brother shrugged his shoulder looking down at his foot and said, "Wow, you're like Doug off the Hangover except you're not a dentist and we're not in Vegas."

"You forgot to mention that I'm black." Jaqueris reminded as he walked ahead

"That's still in question." He quipped

Dismissing him Jaqueris was only thinking about how good his bed was going to feel on his throbbing neck, spine, and head.

* * *

><p>The two arrived at the Institute soon enough given the fact that Jaqueris didn't fly because he was so tired. They both were given strange looks by the various students that were up and about but the brothers were too lethargic to care in the slightest.<p>

They both took a much needed shower before putting on tank tops, Jaqueris white and Ja'Keyon black, and shorts. Once they got inside their room it was like a great weight had been lifted off their shoulders as both fell onto their beds in unison.

Never had a mattress felt so good and Jaqueris was sure he was going to doze right off to sleep with no problems.

_Knock. Knock._

If Jaqueris had lengthy hair he would have been pulling it out at the roots at the sound of the knock at the door. He greatly wished the Professor would grant a "Do Not Disturb" card like what you found at a sleazy hotel.

"Keyon will you shoot me please?" he asked without lifting his head from the pillow

_Knock. Knock._

Ja'Keyon muttered in gruffly, "Too tired. Get the door before I consider shooting whoever is on the other side."

Grunting audibly into his sheets Jaqueris got up from his bed and answered the door. David was waiting with a serious expression on his face. He was about to lay into his friend until he saw how horrible of a condition he was in.

His eyes were red and baggy and his entire body seemed to be begging for sleep as his shoulders hung limply. David registered a faint smell of something illegal come from the room, but said nothing of it.

"Why do you look like hell?" he asked bluntly

Jaqueris rubbed his eyes and said without thinking, "What do you want?"

David was taken aback slightly by his tone and forwardness, but that was to be expected if you had a rough night like Jaqueris supposedly did.

"Um…I wanted to remind you that we have training in the Danger Room today and that Danielle is furious that you missed class."

Jaqueris wanted to punch something, but settled for burying his head in his hand as he breathed out audibly. He stayed like this for a few seconds to try and cope with his anger, "Alright, I'm coming…just give me a second."

David nodded and walked away to await him at the corner as Jaqueris closed the door. He stared at the entrance for a moment contemplating on whether he should go or just lie back down and forget about it. Looking at his brother's sleeping form the option of being lazy seemed incredibly persuasive at the moment, but lazy was something he wasn't. Well not all the time anyway.

He looked around for a pair of sandals he could wear because they were going to change out of their clothes for an X-man uniform anyway. Opening the door he looked at the bed opposite of his and thought, _"Lucky bastard."_

Ja'Keyon heard the door close and his eyes opened. Unlike his brother he could operate on little sleep and had actually been trying to figure out something. Obviously waking up in the middle of Mutant Town was strange, but even stranger was how he got there.

All he remembered was going to his room that night and not talking to Malcolm before…nothing. The next thing he knew he woke up in the middle of the street with a headache that soon dissipated and trying to bring Malcolm back to conscious land.

If he didn't know better he might've thought they both had been abducted and had their anuses experimented on, but luckily he was sane and didn't believe in such nonsense. Though he was still troubled, he would never just up and decide to go drink with the boy but that bottle of whiskey said otherwise.

Also why couldn't he remember anything? It would make sense for Malcolm but he had a healing factor it should be next to impossible for him to get drunk and even more so to experience memory loss from one bottle.

"_It doesn't make any sense." _He thought

_Knock. Knock._

"I'm awake come back when I'm sleeping!" he yelled at the door

"Why would we do that? Come back while you're sleeping wouldn't that just be…I don't know dumb?" said a unintelligent voice

"Shut up, Santo." Said another

Ja'Keyon recognized them and he got up from his bed to let them in. Not surprisingly standing on the other side of the door was Julian, Santo, and Brian. They were all dressed in a bright yellow uniform, save for Rockslide who had just the pants, with black along the arms legs and back.

"Ok I'll bite, what is this?" he asked leaning on the doorframe

The three looked like he had asked the dumbest question in the world "Isn't it obvious? We have team training today and since you're on our team you have to come along." Said Julian

"I don't recall signing up to wear spandex." He said eyeing the uniforms skeptically

He saw Brian tug at his shoulder as if he finally noticed what he was wearing, "You know he has a point."

Julian frowned so deeply that his face resembled a mud pie before saying in a serious tone, "Shut up! These are the uniforms of the X-men, you should be grateful that they let us wear them at all!"

The defensive tone he used caught Ja'Keyon off guard clearly not expecting Julian to show this level of esteem for the special team of mutants that Xavier called the X-Men or rather their uniforms.

"Alright, calm down. Look I just don't see the point in going to…" he trailed off as he had no idea where the trio had come to take him

This time Santo spoke up sensing that Julian was still a little upset over Ja'Keyon's lack of respect for the X-men attire, "Like we said the Hellions have training today, but the lame New Mutants have the Danger Room first so we've got martial arts training with the clone first."

"X-23? She's going to be training with us?" Ja'Keyon said with a newfound enthusiasm

This wasn't missed on the three with Brian saying, "What you got a thing for the clone or something?"

Ja'Keyon brushed past them and began to walk away with a bright smile lining his face as he pumped his fists, "Me and her have a score to settle. She beat me once before but that was because she had Malcolm to help her out."

The other three didn't know what he was talking about and after they all shared confused looks answered by raised shoulders they followed after the excited boy, "Wait a minute you don't even know where we're supposed to go." Called Julian after him

* * *

><p>The quintet known collectively as the New Mutants were waiting outside in the silver hallway leading into the Danger Room all dressed in smaller replica uniforms worn by some of their teachers.<p>

Jaqueris sitting against the wall would make you think he was thinking very deeply about something due to his fingers being interlocked and his forehead leaning forward into his hands. Though this would quickly be dispelled once you got close enough to hear his light snore.

"Uh…Jaqueris? Jaqueris we're about to go in. Jaqueris?"

Laurie's soft attempts at waking him were proving futile so Josh decided to help out.

"Watch out Laurie I'll show you how to wake a sleeping black man." Said Josh holding up his pointer finger

"Yeah, that's not racist at all Josh." Chimed in David with his arms crossed

The healer took his finger and stuck it in his mouth and made exaggerated circles making sure to take up as much saliva as possible. Laurie and Sofia made disgusted faces at his intentions.

"I don't think that is such a good idea Josh." Said Sofia

The boy took his finger from his mouth ignoring the warning from his teammate and said, "That's funny because I think it's a great idea."

With that he shoved his finger in Jaqueris' ear and swirled it around. The victim's eyes snapped open and he stood up quickly as Josh looked ready to die from laughter. The girls had their mouths covered and David just shook his head at the immaturity just displayed.

Rubbing the inside of his ear vigorously as he tried to rid himself of the foreign spit he eyed Josh dangerously with white glowing eyes, "Foley, what the hell is wrong with you?"

The boy continued to laugh so hard that a tear ran down his cheek, "Man…y-you never get tired of the class…classics." He said between laughs

Jaqueris wanted to fry him or strangle perhaps both as he wouldn't stop with his childish cackle especially since his nap had been disturbed twice now. Stepping towards Josh he stopped when he sensed something approaching them. It was the same feeling he got when he detected large sources of metal but this wasn't metal but a huge mass of electricity.

The elevator door slid open moments later to reveal someone that didn't help his mood improve. Doubly so since that someone was in the same uniform as them.

"Surge? Here?" he asked his eyes still glowing

The blue haired girl walked up to everyone and gave Jaqueris a sour look, "Stop looking at me like that." She demanded

Jaqueris glowered at her as the light in his eyes disappeared. For a few tense moments no one said anything as the two electricity manipulators had their own version of a Mexican standoff.

It was only broken when David said, "I asked her to come."

Everyone's eyes shifted to the other black teen except for Noriko who had a grave expression plastered on her face, "I'm gonna have to ask why, David, with extra emphasis on the why?"

Laurie slyly made her way over to David and whispered in his ear, "I told you this wasn't such a good idea."

David acknowledged this now and opened his mouth to answer but was cut off when Surge answered herself, "I don't think that's any of your business. I'm here now so deal with it."

Her tone dared Jaqueris to argue further and he wanted to but his friends saw the need to defuse the situation, "Don't mind him Noriko he's just a little cranky because he didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

The boy wrapped his arm around Jaqueris' neck causing him to receive an elbow to the ribs as he removed his arm.

"Look, Jaqueris, David asked Noriko to come because we thought we should balance out the team more. Also even though it's not a competition Hellions little group already has five people? Plus Dani said we should anyway." She added in the last part with a nervous smile

Jaqueris bit his bottom lip as he realized he was stuck with Surge as his teammate…for now. The intercom came to life suddenly and Danielle's voice spoke through, "Alright, I've configured all of the settings so you guys can step inside."

The circular door bearing a large X slid open and the group stepped inside. The other three were ahead of them so they didn't see the two give one another a nasty look.

Stepping inside the spacious training room the New Mutants spotted Danielle up inside the cylindrical viewing room. Laurie and Sofia waved at her happily like little children and she returned it with a bright smile on her face.

"Alright, everyone I'm going to start the program. You know how dangerous it can be so it's going to be on the lower levels. Don't do anything stupid and watch each other's back."

"I hope she doesn't expect those two to make sure the other doesn't get stepped on." Whispered Josh to David

As Dani fiddled with the controls up top the room's features melded and shifted into that of a ruined town. Cars were burnt to a crisp, large amounts of rubble and debris was scattered across the ground, there were several fires burning around them, and to cap it all off the dust hung in the night air tickling everyone's noses.

Their seemed to be no life present save for the contingent of mutants standing in the wasteland.

Sofia turned to David and asked, "Which program did she say she's running again?"

"It's the Sentinel program. The point isn't to fight the thing, but make sure everyone gets out alright." He explained

"What do you mean everyone? It looks like we're the only ones here." Pointed out Laurie

"Laurie's right and besides…" Jaqueris began

"What's a Sentinel?" Both Nova and Surge asked this question at the same time causing them both to shoot glares in the other's direction

David sighed at their display of dislike to one another, "Well to the first question that's part of the exercise. We have to find the people first, but luckily we have a tracker on our squad. Secondly, a Sentinel is…"

"A giant freaking robot with lasers and rockets and stuff meant to kill or capture mutants, but mostly they just kill us." Butted in Josh

David gave him a look before saying, "Yeah, what he said, but that doesn't matter anyway because we aren't here to fight the thing. Nova I need you to use your tracking ability to see if anyone is in the area."

His teammate nodded and put his finger to his head like a telepath and began to concentrate. Due to his excessive usage of this power he had gotten pretty good at it and it no longer took a long time for him to find a target because of his increased range and perception.

"Found them. They're about four people trapped in a convenience store about three blocks from here." He informed everyone pointing west

"Okay, let's go everyone we..."

_Crash!_

Everyone flinched or jumped out of the way when a large van came crashing down between them kicking up dirt and rocks.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Laurie getting up off the ground

"Peachy." Said Josh

"I'm okay." Added Sofia

"Nothing broken." Informed David

"I'm good." Alerted Surge

Laurie noticed that Jaqueris had said nothing and looked around for him. She found him in good shape staring up into the dark sky as if in shock. She jogged over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Jaqueris are you okay? What are you looking at?"

He didn't answer his eyes staring into a massive dirt cloud. Laurie followed the path his eyes were on and saw what he was looking at. A pair of yellow eyes shined in the darkness attached to the body of a massive robot that stood several stories tall with a red and grey color scheme.

Realizing the urgency of the situation Laurie began to tug at Jaqueris' arm, "Come on Nova we've got to move right now!"

The robot looked down at them and raised its hand as an ominous red light began to emit from its palm. The others came around the side of the vehicle to see the desperate sight before them.

"What the hell are they doing?" cried Surge to no one in particular

"Jaqueris is in shock!" told David

"Crap!" uttered Surge

She began to focus her energies into her legs and the soles of her feet. Electricity coursed through her body and in an instant she dashed forward with inhuman speed. Even as fast as she was going she wasn't sure she was going to get there in time but she didn't have time to think about that.

The Sentinel had charged its blast long enough and with cold steely eyes it fired upon Laurie and Jaqueris.

* * *

><p>Emma watched as Laura systematically dismantled her advisees one by one. They had started the lesson with Laura showing the others basic stances and strikes before moving on to more advanced maneuvers. Now at the end everyone had a chance to face the girl in one on one combat to see how far they had progressed and what they needed to work on. The matches were divided in three rounds ending when someone was knocked down two of the three times.<p>

She was at first skeptical of allowing Wolverine's daughter or whatever she was to teach her students, but Logan assured her nothing was going to happen but he still watched them with her. She knew her background and how bloody her past was. Not to mention the deep level of brain washing she had undergone that made Emma against her staying here, but she lacked the authority to just chuck her out the door.

Still she was not about to leave her Hellions alone with the girl which was why she was supervising them closely.

Brian was the first to try his luck with the clone and was the first to be utterly embarrassed as he was defeated in record time. Julian tried next and met a similar fate which was made worse by the fact that he tried hitting on the girl before, after, and during their match. Whether or not the vicious chop he received was because of this was lost to Emma.

Cessily went next and while it was more difficult for Laura to knock her down due to her bodily composition she eventually succeeded. Emma noted that during their session Laura seemed to go easier on her than the boys and given the fact that Cessily smiled at her several times and even joked around about being beaten she wondered if the two were friends.

Second to last was Santo which proved to be Laura's biggest challenge even forcing her to unsheathing her claws. Emma was about to intervene, but Logan reminded her that Santo was made of rock couldn't be killed from stab wounds.

Laura promptly cut off his legs twice to end the match.

"Man, I look like Muggshot off of Sly Cooper." Said Santo supporting himself with just his arms and "walked" back to the other Hellions

Last up was Ja'Keyon, he was the younger brother of the other Malcolm boy who had arrived at the school a little under 2 months ago. She had never spoken to the boy privately, but she knew his history, of his time with A.I.M.

He had several similarities to Laura both were highly trained by clandestine organizations and neither apparently had qualms about killing. The thought of two killing machines, three if you count Wolverine, present in the school was something that unnerved even the normally icy teacher.

"This is going to be fun, aye X-23?" said Ja'Keyon

Laura said nothing as she got in her stance. Ja'Keyon continued to smile as he did the same, "Well I guess we'll let our fists do the talking."

Laura was on him in an instant and managed to land a kick to square in his chest. He fell backwards to the floor mat as the room went silent.

"That was awfully anticlimactic." Said Emma

"That's an understatement." Agreed Wolverine

The male Hellions found his quick defeat hilarious and were now in a giggling fit despite the fact that they had been beaten not too long beforehand Cessily shushed them while simultaneously giving them an ugly glare.

Ja'Keyon meanwhile was on the ground with a pissed off expression, if there was one thing he hated then it was losing. He groaned angrily and kicked his legs above his head before bringing them forward to jump up to his feet.

Emma could sense his anger at being one up'ed but then she also saw something else. It was subtle and barely noticeable but still there. An image of Ja'Keyon in pain flashed into her mind as well as an image of…Quentin Quire?

"_Was that a memory?"_

"Okay, let's try that again." Said Ja'Keyon biting back his bad attitude

Laura blinked so slowly that it had to be deliberate her silent nature was working on his nerves. Putting on his serious face and getting back into his stance he analyzed his opponent. Her form was damn near perfect, her feet were spaced exactly at the required distance, but the most distinguishing feature was her eyes which were so focused Ja'Keyon thought she was looking through him.

He blinked once but that seemed to be all the time that X-23 needed because she advanced close enough to him to throw a punch at his head. Having prepared himself he knocked it away but she recovered in kind by sending a spinning backhand which was also blocked.

Their eyes locked for a moment and Ja'Keyon took the opportunity to take his foot and locked it with hers. He then pulled her foot backwards causing her to fall forward towards the map. She was not to be defeated so easily she put both her arms out to stop her descent.

Now in the push up position her other foot fell to the ground allowing her to kick out with the same foot that Ja'Keyon pulled from under her. Her strike struck him under his chin making him stumble backwards.

Laura rose up and faced Rebel again whose lip had split from her foot connecting. Ja'Keyon licked the blood from his lip and smiled as it healed in an instant.

"Now we're getting somewhere." He said

The Hellions were still reeling from the fact that he had lasted more than two seconds with Laura and all had shocked looks on their faces save for Cessily who was smiling.

The two combatants circled one another like two predators about to fight over a strap of meat. Ja'Keyon noticed that her look had changed while at first it was almost indifferent now her features had darkened to show that she was more invested in this match.

They both ran at one another intent on not being the one to fall to the floor.

* * *

><p>Surge looked cautiously out of the window of a building they were hiding in. "They" being her and Nova, after she saved his sorry ass and the life of Wallflower the group had been separated by the ensuing attacks of the Sentinel.<p>

They had managed to take refuge in an abandoned building for now which looked like it used to be an office of some sort, but that thing was still out there searching.

"_I wonder how the others are doing?" _she thought

A sound of something falling caused her spin around her hands wrought with electricity ready to fire on anything unfortunate to sneak up on them. All she was greeted with was a destroyed room with light peeking through a crack in the roof.

Powering down she let out an uneasy breath and placed her hand on her forehead, "Calm down, I'm jumping at shadows."

She turned around at placed her hands on her hips at the pathetic sight in front of her. Nova was sitting against a stone pillar, hands hanging over his knees, and staring off into space with grim expression on his mug.

"How long are you just gonna sit there like that? Don't tell me you're angry because a girl saved you?" she asked

He gave her a look that was meant to intimidate her and make her back off, but it wasn't successful forcing him to speak, "Shut up." He said without any authority behind it

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot resembling a parent in scolding mode.

"I don't get what the big deal is. You act like I should've let you get barbeque'd or something."

He turned his head away from her like a small child and said, "Its just that…I've been on a mission before and I mean a _real _mission. I should've been ready for that robot, but when it was standing there in front of me I just couldn't move. If that had been real I would've been…"

Surge rolled her eyes at his period of weakness and then interrupted by saying, "Who cares what could've happened? It didn't so stop worrying about it before you give yourself an ulcer."

Her advice didn't do much to make Nova feel better so he just turned away from her again not caring how childish he looked.

Noriko mean mugged him for how much of a baby he was being, she wasn't his guidance counselor so it wasn't her job to counsel him she had better things to do.

"Stand up!" she demanded

"What?" he asked befuddled

"I said stand up! If you don't think you can fight that thing then you better be able to get away from it, because I'm not too keen on playing hero all the time."

Curious as to what she getting at he took a break from his self loathing and stood up, "What are you up to, Surge?"

"I'm going to teach you an ancient Japanese secret. It's called running, but with a mutant touch to it."

The Sentinel probed the area for any signs of the mutants it was hunting. They had managed to elude it after their last incursion by dividing their party. This would make the search more tedious but in the end much more successful.

Josh watched from behind a pile of rubble as the murderous robot floated overhead and away from their position. They were stationed in a dug out at the moment with two missing from their group.

"You think Nova and Surge are alright?" he asked aloud

"Dani didn't stop the simulation so they must be fine." Said Laurie as she took a lump of debris from her hair

"Do you think we should go look for them?" asked Sofia

"No, like Laurie said if they were in real danger Dani would've shut off the program. We have to remember the objective is to save the hostages, if we do that then the sim ends anyway."

The others all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Didn't Nova say that they were in a convenience store?" questioned Laurie

"Yeah." Answered Josh

The mousy girl pointed over the dugout at such a location which was boarded up heavily.

"Good job Laurie." Congratulated Josh

A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she allowed herself a smile and let out a meek, "Thanks."

"We're gonna have to make a run for it." Announced David

The three gave him a fearful look with Josh saying, "Are you crazy? That thing will kill us before we got two feet!"

"You got any better ideas?"

He fell silent at this and said, "No, but still."

David looked at the two females who still seemed doubtful but they also realized that making a break for the store was better than sitting in the dirt.

"I'll cut down wind friction so you guys can run as fast as possible." Informed Sofia

"Good, but once we get close enough I want you to see if you can blow the boards off that door. If you can't then me and Elixir are going to have to smash through ourselves."

Josh frowned when he said this, "Sounds painful."

David stood up and slapped him on the cheek lightly, "Toughen up pretty boy."

"Easy for you to say you don't know what it means to be pretty."

Disregarding his insinuation David said, "Okay, guys get ready."

Everyone seemed to take a collective breath and then breathed out at the same time. After a few repetitions of this the group meditative exercise ceased.

"I'm ready." Said Laurie

"Ditto." Said Sofia

Josh just muttered "Let's get this over with."

David nodded his head and yelled, "Go!"

Nova put his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. Sweat rolled off his nose and gathered into a small puddle on the ground.

Surge had revealed to him how to utilize the electricity in his body to grant himself super speed but it had been a burden for him to use. Right now he could only use it in short bursts ranging from 2-4 seconds before he burnt out.

"You should give it a rest and conserve your energy." She said looking out a window

He looked back and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, "Why, you scared I might get better at this than you?" he teased

She didn't look at him, but said in a condescending tone, "Why do boys always make everything a competition. Dating, Sex…Peeing everything is a race to see who can do what first or the farthest."

"That's a pretty broad assumption don't you think?" he said walking beside her

This time she looked at him with narrow eyes but said nothing before looking back out the window, "Look."

Nova peered out the cracked window and saw sight the welcome sight of his four friends.

"Why are they running? It's not like…" Jaqueris began but stopped when he heard a gasp from Surge he looked off into the distance

The Sentinel was fast approaching it rockets propelling it forward at an impressive pace. It put out its hand just like before when it tried to blast him and Laurie.

"Oh crap, it's heading right for them!" cried Nova

The rest of the New Mutants seemed to notice this as well as they ran faster to the store.

"Can't you I don't know make it crash or something?" said Surge loudly in his ear

Without thinking whether he could or not Nova held out both his arms and try to take control of the metallic being. He felt his power wrap around the iron giant and as it did so the great weight of the automaton became apparent.

Immediately it felt like an elephant was stepping on his head but it wasn't in vain as the Sentinel stopped in mid air and began to flay its arms and legs against the invisible constrictor. At the moment all Nova could do was impede its movement.

Back at ground level the others had seen the miracle that was happening and they quickly figured out what was happening.

"We owe Nova one for this!" said Elixir running up beside David

"Let's just focus on getting inside that store first. Wind Dancer the door!" the leader called

Sofia flew in front of them and fired a blast of compressed air at the door. When it impacted chips of wood splintered into the air and chunks of it even broke away, but the door stayed closed.

"It didn't work!" stated Laurie

"That's fine, Elixir you ready?"

The boy sighed at the pain that he was surely going to feel in a few moments, "As I'll ever be." He answered half-heartedly

The two boys ran as fast as they could trying to build up the most momentum possible to barge through the door. Lowering their shoulders like football players the two ram the doorway bursting inside the store.

Sofia and Laurie came right behind them to find a group of people huddled together in the corner of the store. They were bruised and their clothes were torn but other than that they seemed fine. The girls made their way over to them and Laurie began to administer her pheromones to calm them down.

"See that wasn't that bad was it, Josh?" said David pushing himself off the ground

"Speak for yourself I think I dislocated my shoulder. Dani you mind ending the program now we've got the hostages."

The group waited but nothing happened as the environment remained unchanged.

"What's the deal? We avoided the killer robot and saved some lives. Why are we still stuck in Cloverfield?" said Josh irritated

"Because we haven't finished the mission, let's get these guys out of here and see what happens." Offered Wind Dancer

Elsehwere Surge said happily, "They made it inside!"

"Good because I can't hold it anymore." Said Nova as he wrested control of the robot away and fell to his knees

The strain was worse than when he tried to use his electrical powers to try and run fast. His previous sluggishness seemed to have return and was now only amplified by his physical condition.

The mutant hunter righted itself in the air and searched for the new target. Its sensors had picked up a mutant with power over Electromagnetism making it the most dangerous threat at the moment.

"_Scanning. Scanning. Target located."_ The computerized voice said

The Sentinel's boosters ignited as thrust itself towards the floor that Surge and Nova were hiding in.

"Uh oh." Surge hastily made her way to Nova to help him up, "Come on that thing is headed this way and we don't want to be here when it gets here!"

She could feel him try and stand but it was like a newborn learning to walk there wasn't much he could do under his own power.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Just then the head of their executioner appeared outside the window with its eyes shining brightly. The two mutants looked fearfully at the shining bulbs as they prepared to fire.

"_Mutants detected. Threat Level: Moderate. Course of Action: Extermination."_

"Surge, aim for its eye!" ordered Nova channeling blue energy to his clenched fists

Seeing his intention Surge did the same. The two charged their bolts as the evil robot did the same with its eyes. Because they were smaller however the two electricity manipulators were at their max much faster and released their power together.

The two bolts of energy combined and struck the Sentinel in its right eye causing a small explosion snapping its head backwards.

"Bullseye." Said Surge

"Don't be so sure. It's coming back."

Just as he said the Sentinel was staring back inside the building at its targets. Its eye was destroyed revealing all kinds dark circuitry. Unfortunately it had one other eye with was still viable.

The two readied themselves to fire another blast but then something strange happened. The electricity in their hands increased in frequency and size and eventually the currents jumped from their own hands into the others.

"What's going on?" questioned Surge

"I don't know."

Then the two felt an irresistible pull between one another that made crash into one another.

"Ooof!" they both said as they fell to the ground

Nova had fallen on top of Surge with their bodies now so close that they were touching. Nova could feel her soft breasts through his uniform and to make matters worse he was between her legs at the moment, her thigh rubbing at his side, and certain areas of their anatomy were pressed against one another.

Suddenly the office building they were in dematerialized revealing the true metallic nature of the room. Everything else followed suite, the streets, the rubble, the giant flying robot all went back to the original appearance of the Danger Room.

Prodigy and the others also appeared in front of them with bewildered expressions.

"Dani, what happened? Did we pass the simulation?" asked Sofia

"That can't be it because we didn't get all the people out." Reminded Josh

"Then what?" asked Laurie innocently

The students all looked up at Danielle for an answer but she continued to look behind them. This made the New Mutants follow their instructors gaze and what they found made Josh smile like a Cheshire Cat.

"Wow, Jaqueris right in the middle of training? Well I guess when you've gotta inch then you have to scratch it huh?" said Josh

Laurie and Sofia were both too appalled to say anything and David stared with his mouth slightly agape.

Dani took this time to chime in on the intercom, "I'd like to remind you two that this is not **that** kind of training."

Surge and Nova looked each other in the eyes embarrassment clear across their faces, "This is not what it looks like."

"Yeah, our powers made us attracted to each other." Said Nova

"Well, something had to right?" jabbed Josh

The two glared at him as they tried to get up off the floor. Surge tried pushing off the ground while Nova tried pushing up but they found that when they did so their bodies stayed stuck together like glue.

When Nova could rise because of her added weight he instinctively placed his hand on the ground beside her head and his other hand grabbed anything available which happened to be her thigh.

The two now looked like something out of a romance flick as Jaqueris had unwittingly braced her body closer to him.

"You're doing it wrong!" snapped Noriko

"Maybe you should show him how to do it, Surge!" said Josh smirking

Nova looked at the boy with white eyes, "I swear if you make one more joke."

He piped up at this but still kept a tight smile on his face.

Surge and Nova had to wait for the attractive charge between the two to weaken enough for them to separate. When they finally did so Jaqueris found a noticeable bulge around his private area which he found difficult to hide because of the spandex.

Josh was about to make another obscene joke, but then Jaqueris heard a loud smack followed by an "Ouch!" from him.

Dani made her way down to her advisees and said, "I think that's enough 'training' for today. You guys are free today, but Jaqueris I want you to stay I'd like to talk to you privately."

The others gave him worried look save for Noriko who made it a point to avoid eye contact with him.

The two were now alone with Jaqueris' "friend" having calmed down. Dani looked at him seriously and said, "Why did you miss class today?"

Jaqueris was in a strange place at the moment because he had no idea why he had missed class.

"To tell you the truth I don't know. I woke up in Mutant Town with my brother, but I don't remember how we got there."

He conveniently left out the part about the alcohol, but Dani still looked like she was mulling over something.

"You say you don't remember?"

Jaqueris nodded, "Honest, it's like I blacked out."

Dani put her hand under her chin as she thought of different possibilities, but she always came back to the same conclusion.

"Come with me we're going to find Emma." She informed him as she walked out of the door

* * *

><p>Laura jumped backwards to avoid Rebel's leg sweep. She already had a counterattack in mind, but before she even landed her opponent rushed forward sent a spinning roundhouse kick at her chest.<p>

Having no time to dodge she brought her arms up in an X guard and defended. The kick was much harder than she anticipated and lifted her into the air. Having no way to stop herself she landed on her back.

This took her and everyone watching by surprise. During their previous encounter he had managed to defeat her only because she was unfamiliar with his mutation, but now he wasn't using his powers and he still managed to accomplish something that none of his classmates could.

However she noticed something about his fighting style, it was full of anger, and he struck fast and hard, but there were holes in his style. Holes she would exploit the next time they became apparent.

Rising to her feet she prepared herself as he inched closer eagerness spread across his face. She could see it now, he was angry. It was restrained but still present and festering. It reminded her of herself to a degree of how controlled she was, of how the Facility had thought her not to show any emotion, perhaps A.I.M. had thought him the same.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Said Wolverine

Rebel was the first to protest, "What but we just started."

The other Hellions groaned in irritation as well.

"Yeah, it was just getting good. It's not every day we get to see Blackie Chan and Wolverine with boobs go at it." Agreed Rockslide

"Guess this is gonna be another day too, huh? Now get dressed before I give you all laps."

"Laura, do you wanna hang out after we get through in the Danger Room?" asked Cessily

"I am not sure I would appreciate a hanging." She said clueless

Ja'Keyon snickered at her lack of understanding along with the other boys. Cessily rolled her eyes and grabbed the other girls hand, "Just come on."

They were leaving the room when Emma said, "Ja'Keyon I would like you to stay for a moment."

Rebel stopped and stared at the woman wondering what she could possibly want with him. The others left after more prompting from Wolverine leaving just Rebel and the Frost Queen.

"Soooo….what's up?"

Ignoring his unorthodox grammar she said, "Are you familiar with Quentin Quire, Ja'Keyon?"

The teen looked at her wondering what could spark such a question and said, "Never heard of him." He answered honestly

The purple haired boy looked out the window of the red van at the U-Men's Central Headquarters with apathy. Inside were a band of hypocrites who claimed to hate mutants yet grafted mutant body parts to their own bodies like some freaky science experiment.

He had used his power to ascertain that they were holding a funeral for a comrade who had died after his body had rejected the foreign organs. They were planning on harvesting them however and share them amongst themselves.

"Disgusting." He said aloud

Glob called from the back of the van, "Quentin, are we ready to go yet?"

The telepath grinned a dangerous grin and said, "Let's show them how the New X-men operate."

With that Radian turned the ignition of the van and floored the pedal, heading straight for a wall.

* * *

><p>Sorry about the long wait, but I've been lazy these last couple of days. I know the plot is moving slowly, but I promise to pick it up in the next chapter so stay tuned and remember to tell me what you think about this chapter.<p> 


	31. The Riot

**The Riot**

* * *

><p>Jaqueris followed behind Dani as they made their way to Ms. Frost. He had never interacted with the women, their only encounter being when he was being punished for fighting with Julian. Thinking about this brought up a sour taste in his mouth as he remembered the woman trying to read his mind without his permission.<p>

"Dani, do we really have to go find her? I mean people forget stuff all the time. Do we need a telepath for this?" he asked

She looked over her shoulder at the taller boy and said, "Normally I'd agree with you, but we've been having 'problems' with one of the schools telepaths lately and we want to be sure."

"What's their name?" he asked curiously

"Quentin Quire." She said before turning to walk again

Jaqueris looked confused as he asked, "Who?"

Ja'Keyon leaned against the wall as he waited impatiently for Frost. The blonde bombshell known as Emma Frost had explained that she would be scanning his mind for any abnormalities caused by another telepath named Quentin Quire.

He wasn't particularly eager to have someone mucking around his mind no matter how experienced they were in doing so.

"Frost." He said belligerently

"Ms. Frost, thank you. If you are going to be my advisee and you expect respect then you'd best give it in return…darling." She replied quickly and without hesitation

He was surprised to find a teacher to talk to him that way that didn't have metal claws coming from between their knuckles and it was a woman at that! So for a moment he said nothing and just stared with his mouth slightly agape.

"Ms…Frost." He relented as showing respect was foreign to him, "Can I ask you to only scan for what you need and nothing else?"

He grimaced heavily after this ordeal, _"Politeness…eck."_

She gave him an affable smile, "Of course, I would never pry where I'm not wanted."

Her smile may have been genuine, but his gut told him that she was only telling a half truth.

The sound of the door opening drew their heads at the entrance, "Danielle and Mr. Malcolm to what do we owe the pleasure?" she asked though Ja'Keyon could tell she was only feigning politeness

The Native American women seemed able to sense this as well and replied with a sarcastic tone, "What, I can't come to visit one of my favorite co-workers?"

"If that's how you want to spend your time, then by all means I welcome the company." She replied

The two women smiled at one another but the two brothers could tell it was not friendly and completely superficial.

"Anyway, that's not why I came here. I think I have another head case for you." She said pointing at Jaqueris

"Head case?" he repeated defensively

Ja'Keyon snickered at the tease earning him a glare from his elder sibling.

"I see well then let's begin. I'll do you both at the same time." Said the telepath

Ja'Keyon snickered again at the inadvertent innuendo, Jaqueris noticed it too but he was mature enough not to pay it any attention unlike his brother, and this time he got an icy stare from the women clad in white which did the impossible by shutting him up proper.

"Now I want you both to relax your minds and let me do all the work." She said placing her hand on both of their foreheads

Jaqueris thought Ja'Keyon would laugh childishly again at her allusion but he seemed to have learnt his lesson. He looked at Emma who had her eyes closed at the moment as she tried to concentrate and he wondered what she was looking for: more memories manipulated by A.I.M. or…

"I said relax. You're making my job more difficult than it needs to be." She said quietly

Realizing his stray thoughts were delaying her finding anything he apologized and tried to keep his mind blank. At first he found it difficult because he kept having random thoughts pop into his head and then he saw a rush of mental pictures flash through his mind.

A fight between him and Quentin's gang, being crushed in a bear hug by a wax giant, blinded by a white light, and finally a Quire rummaging inside his head.

They both opened their eyes in shock at what had been presented with.

"What was that?" demanded Ja'Keyon his anger rising

Emma removed her mitts a contemplative look now across her well-sculpted features, "It seems young Quentin has used his talents to erase some of your memories including the ones involving you two ever meeting him."

"What!" almost screamed Ja'Keyon

"When exactly did this happen." Asked Jaqueris

"It would seem he did the deed last night when your brother." She gave Ja'Keyon a look before continuing, "Accompanied him into to town to take revenge on a group of humans. You followed them and managed subdue the majority of his party, in impressive fashion I might add, before you were both incapacitated. He then suppressed your memories of the event, but I restored them and they should return to you shortly."

The White Queen then made her way past the two boys towards the door.

"So where is Quentin now?" asked Danielle

Ja'Keyon listened intently for a reply eager to find the location of the little jerk and teach him a lesson about playing around in people's mind.

"I don't know. He **is** an Omega Level Telepath so he could either be shielding himself from me or simply out of my range."

As the two talked Jaqueris could feel his suppressed memories returning one by one which was far more comfortable than the flood of images that assaulted his mind just a minute ago.

"So you don't know where the egghead is." Presumed Ja'Keyon

She looked at the boy with cautious eyes, "Ja'Keyon whatever you are thinking about doing, please, I implore you to actually **think** before you do it. Quentin may be a student but he can be extremely dangerous if provoked."

Ja'Keyon didn't seem to hear a word she said as he said, "Do you know where he is or not?"

The beautiful women sighed and muttered something about along the lines of "Youth today." Before answering his question with a terse, "No, I don't."

She then began towards the door again and Jaqueris could tell she was not stopping this time. Danielle turned towards the boys and said, "You two have helped enough as is. For now just forget about the whole thing and let us handle it."

Following behind Emma she disappeared leaving the two brothers to their own devices.

"Can you believe this? That little schmuck played hide-and-seek with our memories." Raved Ja'Keyon

"Yeah it makes you wonder what else telepaths can do. I mean we didn't even realize he erased our memories." Answered Jaqueris rubbing his head a new respect for the powers of mental mutants

"We have to find him." Urged Ja'Keyon

Giving him a strange look Jaqueris said, "Why? Dani and Ms. Frost said that they'd handle it."

His brother huffed and spoke, "What are they gonna do give him detention? Face it their punishments are about as punishing as a pillow fight."

Turning to face him he questioned further with, "And what do you plan to do exactly?"

"Nothing much just a candlelight dinner and a handheld scroll through the park before I propose to him because he knows me so well." He revealed

The sarcasm in his voice couldn't have been more obvious and Jaqueris returned with, "Careful, I almost believe you for a second there. Quire does look like your type you know if you like crazy rebellious types."

His frown hung before he said, "I'm not crazy just mad. Now are you going to help me or what?"

"Or what, this talk about dating has me wanting to take Megan out somewhere tonight." Said Jaqueris effectively ending the conversation

As he walked away Ja'Keyon gave him a foul look and put his hand in his pocket. His fingers brushed across something hard and made of plastic. Pulling out a black inhaler that was melted beyond recognition a memory flashed through his mind.

_The members of the Omega Gang each took their turn taking a hit from the container containing the drug Kick. Quentin was the last to take a puff before handing it out for Rebel to take. _

Then the memory ended just as quickly as it began and an idea formed in Ja'Keyon's mind, "Yeah, you go get your daily dose of Pixie. I have a date of my own."

* * *

><p>Danielle caught up to Emma in the hallway and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Slow down Emma. What's so urgent that you suddenly developed super speed?"<p>

Continuing to walk she answered, "Nothing, I had to powder my nose."

Stepping in front of her Daniells stopped her movement and gave the woman a serious look crossing her arms to add to the effect.

Emma cocked her eyebrow before conceding, "When I read their minds I came across something very interesting. Quentin hinted at something bigger something, something "grander planned for mutantkind" as he put it. I thought it best if we find him before he has a chance to enact such a plan."

Danielle's hard features vanished as she said, "Okay, so what's our course of action?"

Emma began to walk once more and said, "First **I** have to find our adolescent telepath wherever he may be."

* * *

><p>The deceased was laid atop a metal casket with arcs of electricity coursing through his body. The room was set up to resemble a traditional funeral, even though it was anything but, with the leader ever reading from a holy book that just so happened to not be the bible.<p>

"My fellow Homo Perfectus today is not a day of mourning but one of happiness. Because even though our brother was not of the purity to contain the mutant transplants he received…we are! For today is the day of the Recycled Man, let the harvest begin!" he concluded

They were all dressed in blue suits containment suits with glass helmets, in earnest they looked like something off of a sci-fi movie. After their leader had ended his "sermon" all eight gathered around the body helping themselves to the surgical tools laid out on a tray beside the body.

As they looked at the body in front of them hungrily one of them said, "He promised me his x-ray eyes."

Another uttered, "Well, I get the jaw." A third vulture wielding a bonesaw said, "Do we all get a piece or just the group leaders?"

_Crash!_

The large red van carrying the ideological students of Xavier's crashed through the wall into the base of the U-Men. The room fell deathly silent at the ostentatious entrance until the doors of the vehicle came open.

Out stepped the self proclaimed "New X-Men" clad in their characteristic uniforms depicted in an anti-mutant newspaper. The first to speak was Quentin, "X-Men so our friends how we deal with threats to mutants now."

The four mutants behind him ran forward to carry out their order with deadly efficiency.

* * *

><p><strong>10 Minutes Later<strong>

The U-man felt the bile about to rise in his stomach as he stared at the scene in front of him, "You should see these two freaks go at it. Right out in the open like on the Discovery Channel or something! One looks like a chicken and the other has wings like a bug."

The second U-man shook his head at his companion's perversion and continued with his laptop, "I have to report this. If those two are here then that means there are probably more nearby."

He pressed a key on the pad and began to speak inside, "U-Man Patrol to U-Man Central is anyone there? We've come across what appears to be a camping trip by mutants from Xavier's School."

There was only silence on the other end which served to frustrate the U-man.

"Look the girls quivering like crazy and what's the chicken doing now? Man, these binoculars suck I wish I had U-man Parr's telescopic eyes."

"Shut up! U-Man Central come in we've found a party of mutants nearby, what are our orders?" he called into the mic

Still no reply came through and the man almost threw the computer into a rock nearby.

"You know that they're having Bob Smitts funeral today, right?" reminded the binocular wielder

He began to type another website into the address bar of the computer and pressed Enter. In a matter of seconds the Sublime website showed up on screen and the U-man clicked a tab reading "Tenets". Reading the contents carefully he smiled to himself and said,

"Master John says that it is a U-man's right and duty to harvest mutant organs." He stood up and turned around, "The younger the better."

The crouching lookout then turned his face into his own malevolent smile and said, "Maybe I'll get those new eyes yet."

Tattoo managed to catch the broadcast flowing through the computer and asked Quentin, "Those are our classmates, should we go help them?"

"That sounds like my class with Angel and all the others. I wonder if Xorn is with them?" said Glob Herman

The purple haired leader didn't turn to her as he observed the squirming U-man on the ground. Such was the state of every U-man in the base they were either mutilated or dead, thanks to the efforts of his X-men. The man below him however was still conscious but was in considerable pain on account of both his legs being broken.

In response to her earlier question Quentin said, "No, if that is Professor Xorn's Special Class then they should be fine. Besides I have a question that needs answering."

He then broke the seal of his helmet, revealing a man with dark hair and baby blue eyes, as the victim pleaded quietly, "Please I-I can't breathe…the air until the world is perfect. It's my religion!"

"Pfft…religion." Mocked Radian

Tattoo went into her pocket and retrieved a bottle of Hypercortisone D, "Redneck, take a puff." She commanded throwing the bottle at him

The mutant caught it and subsequently took a puff a look of pleasure washing over his body and showing on his face.

"I have to know why do any of you want to be mutants? I mean it's not like it's a walk in the park. People like you murder us, exterminate our artists, and cut out our organs and stick them inside your diseased bodies. It's hypocritical if you think about it."

The man continued to mutter pleas of "Don't hurt me" and the like but it all fell on deaf ears and Quentin continued, "You're not in a religion you know? You're in a cult of cannibalistic maniacs who have way too much ambition and no direction, but that's the way humans always are and always will be."

Nearby Glob held out his hands as Redneck began to heat them with his power, "Hey, Quentin should we tell this guy what Glob is made of…before he can't hear anything anymore?"

The bio-paraffin mutants hand finally reached the desired scolding temperature and he strolled over to the man on the ground and placed his hands on the man's face. Blood curdling screams resounded in the air as his skin was burned away by the hot…

"Wax or living wax to be exact!" revealed Quentin

* * *

><p>Standing outside the U-Man base was a tall man dressed in a brown hood with a mask covering the lower half of his face. He could hear the death wails of the man inside the base, but he wouldn't or couldn't interfere.<p>

He was already risking a lot by being here and stopping the group mutant radicals would only increase that risk tenfold. So for now he settled for the role of a standby.

"Julian should be coming soon with Laura and Julian." He said to himself

* * *

><p>Ja'Keyon walked towards his last destination. He had searched high and low for this girl going from the commons area to the basketball court. Luckily he had come across Julian and managed to convince him with the lure of bullying nerds.<p>

"I still don't get why we have to find the clone." Said the dark-haired boy beside him

Holding up what used to be a Kick inhaler he said, "Quire used this inhaler along with his little friends. X-23 has super senses so she can find them if we show her this."

He turned his face into a frown and said, "Yeah, but…she's so creepy and I always get the feeling she might stab me if I piss her off too much."

They came to the door leading into the garage and Ja'Keyon said, "Then you'd better not piss her off."

Opening the door they were greeted with Logan working on one his bikes with Laura sitting in the corner reading a book but stopped as the two entered.

Whatever smart remarks Julian had ready instantly fell on the wayside of his mind when he spotted Logan present as well. The Canuckle smelled them coming and looked up at the two teens.

"What do you two want?" he asked gruffly

Julian remained silent and looked for Ja'Keyon to answer, "We came for Laura to see if she might want to help us with something."

"And what might that be?" he interrogated

Ja'Keyon was quiet for a minute Logan was being overprotective at the moment so asking Laura to help find a student so he could get the ass-cutting that was coming to him probably would bear no fruit.

"We need help finding someone, Quentin Quire, Frost and Moonstar are looking for him." He replied innocently

It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either and he knew about Logan's ability to discern falsehoods so he added a wide smile to help authenticate his tale.

"I will help them." Entered Laura

The three looked at the formally silent girl and Ja'Keyon said without thinking, "Really? I-I mean thanks."

Shrugging Wolverine said, "Whatever, just don't do anything I wouldn't." he then returned to working on his bike

Outside in the hallway Ja'Keyon held out the deformed inhaler, "Alright, here it is. Quire touched this last night so the scent should be strong enough for you to track."

Taking the bottle from him she sniffed it a couple of times earning her a weird gaze from Julian.

"There are many scents on this container, including your own." She explained

Ja'Keyon had expected as much, "That's alright if we find one of his friends then Quire won't be far behind."

Laura nodded then walked away with the two boys following her. Outside they waited for Julian to summon a telepathic disk to transport them.

He cracked his fingers and grinned arrogantly, "Ok, hold on to your panties ladies." He looked at Laura who remained expressionless before turning to Rebel "And gentlemen if you're into that sort of thing."

"Just hurry up and fly." His friend responded

Julian's eyes turned a shade of emerald green that put even Laura's jade orbs to shame this was followed by his hands giving off the same energy output and then a green disk of telekinetic origin manifested under their feet lifting them off the ground by a few feet.

"Okay, so where do we go now?" asked Julian

"East into the forest." Answered Laura

With that Julian zoomed forward in the desired direction hovering above the trees of the vast forest.

"Tell me X-23…" started Ja'Keyon

"My name is Laura Kinney." She interrupted sternly

Ja'Keyon heard Julian chuckle lightly and then said under his breath, "Burn" but ignored it.

"Right, X-I mean Laura what made you agree to come with us? I mean I may have sort of bended the truth a little when I told you the reason I wanted to find Quire." He admitted

"I know." She revealed

This truth made took a jab at his pride as he was sure that he had fooled her enhanced senses when she agreed, "Okay, then why did you come?"

What happened next required the most astute observer as Laura's eyes briefly darted at Julian, who missed it because his head was turned, before going back to staring ahead.

Instead of answering directly she said, "We are getting close to your target."

_Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!_

A frightful scream shot into the air making Julian stop in his tracks, "What was that?" he asked

"A scream." Answered Laura plainly

He frowned at her and said, "Brilliant deduction Sherlock. What I meant was who is the one screaming?"

"Why did you not just say that?" she asked

Before the two could start arguing Ja'Keyon said, "Does it really matter? We came to find Quire not save someone from an attack by Smokey The Bear."

Laura dismissed his callous remark and searched the area for the scream assisted by the height they were levitating at "There!" she said pointing

Below the trio spotted several of their classmates bunched together with a body dressed in a blue containment suit laying in front of him his head covered by a very large rock.

"Wait I recognize them. They're part of Xorn's freaky Special Class but what are they doing out here?" said Julian

Laura sniffed the air and said, "There are two scents that I do not recognize below hidden by the brush."

Ja'Keyon groaned audibly, he didn't really care about the predicament the group had gotten themselves into and just wanted to find Quire.

_Baannng!_

A gunshot sounded off and the students below all shuddered in fear.

"Woah!" said Julian

"They are being attacked." Stated Laura

"Yeah, I know I'll just get us closer to the ground so we can…" he stopped when he sensed Laura moving beside him

The daring clone had jumped from the disk into a tree below, "Clone, are you crazy?" called Julian after her

The two U-Men took aim ready to bring the young mutants down with fire from their customized weapons.

"Okay, I'm definitely getting the big one's eye for myself." Said one of them

"Just focus on taking him down before that teacher with the helmet shows _Grrggh"_ his words remained forever stuck in his throat as Laura landed on top of him and drove her claws into his neck

"Ahhhh!" yelled his partners surprised as he turned to his left and readied his gun to fire on the girl

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Three shots were fired that struck the remaining U-Man in the head and chest toppling him to the ground. Ja'Keyon appeared from out of a tree brandishing a new black handgun, "I still think we're wasting valuable time helping these guys." He informed

The students stared at them in shock at their performance as Ja'Keyon walked towards them. The group was…eccentric to say the least. The most noticeable of the bunch was a boy wearing a specially designed containment suit with green accents around the mouth, eyes, ears, and on the side of his body.

The rest were equally strange with one boy resembling a humanoid chicken, a colossal pink boy with overly fleshy skin and a featureless face save for sunken ears, a slit-like mouth, and a single eye socket in the center. Also in the group was a girl that looked like she was suffering from Progeria due to her elderly appearance and finally a brain encased in a dome container hovered in the air held down by a dog leash attached to a chain held by the old girl.

Julian flew down finally and his eyes were wide in disbelief, "What have you two done?"

Laura and Ja'Keyon both looked at one another before turning to Julian. A groan from the man Ja'Keyon had shot made him raise his firearm and fire a final bullet into the man's head to end his suffering, "What are you talking about Julian?" he asked

He was further appalled at their lack of understanding of the severity of what they had done, "You both just killed two men doesn't that bother you?"

Laura looked at him with unblinking eyes while Ja'Keyon scratched his head with the end of his gun a thoughtful look on his face, "Uuuuuuh..."

"Julian it was necessary. If we had not intervened then our classmates would have been killed." Added Laura

"Yeah, what she said."

Julian's face was beginning to redden like a tomato as he realized that his morals weren't shared by his peers, "Fine, you break a few limbs, crack a few skulls, but you don't kill them. That's one of the codes that the X-Men live by!" he raved

Laura and Ja'Keyon both stared at him squarely his words seemingly having no effect on them. This served to frustrate him even more as he grabbed his hair and looked ready to pull it out.

He turned to the people behind him and said, "And all of you, you just caved in this guy's head like it was nothing."

"Martha says, 'We had no choice they were going to kill us if we didn't defend ourselves. They were the ones that took her body away and left her just a brain." Said the deceptively old looking girl

This little tidbit of information seemed to catch Julian off guard as his face softened a little. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Where is Professor Xorn he should know better to leave you guys alone especially if there's psycho's running around with guns." Said Julian

Barnell, the chicken look alike, spoke up this time and said, "He went out to take care of the rest of those guys and Angel followed him."

Angel Salvadore had seen some shocking things in her life, hell just moments ago she just had slightly drunken sex with a boy that resembled a foul, but what was in front of her left her speechless.

The light from the fire shined onto her face cast by the wreckage that used to be a U-Man convoy. The bodies of several U-Men were strewn across the ground all carrying severe burns on their bodies. Her teacher, Xorn, helmet was still smoking from invoking the destructive power of the star in his head.

"Sometimes the teacher must excuse himself to make room for the learning." He said his back still to her, "Beak dreams of one day earning the respect he so rightfully deserves, Ernst could find no one to be responsible for until she met Martha, who I have yet to meet and Basilisk had no focus for his energy while Dummy had no community to return to."

Finally he turned around and faced her he placed his finger to his helmet's chin making the "Shhh" signal and said, "This will be our little secret."

Her mouth still agape Angel said meekly, "Yes, sir."

A couple of minutes later Angel and Xorn returned to their group to find three new faces he had not anticipated, "Laura? Mr. Keller? And the younger brother of Mr. Malcolm, what are you all doing here?"

Grimacing Ja'Keyon said, "Hey, I have a name and its Ja'Keyon not 'the younger brother of '."

"Indeed. I see you've already contended with our fanatical friends. And I've ensured that they will no longer bother us again so all is well." He remarked noticing the bodies

"Yeah, it was no biggy. I blasted one with my strobe light and then these two handled the rest." Said the pink boy called Basilisk referring to Ja'Keyon and Laura who shot him a glare at his lie

"Careful or that already meaty head of yours might explode." Said Barnell

"Hey, I have a right to gloat I saved the day and got a date with Martha." He said

Julian and Ja'Keyon looked at one another with looks of doubt on their faces as they tried to imagine who could possibly date the wad of bubble gum.

"Mr. Xorn I'd like you to finally meet No-Girl and she says 'Hi' by the way." He made a motion in the direction of the brain contained in the case

Laughing at finally getting to meet this previously non-existent girl Xorn said, "It is an honor to finally meet you Martha, Welcome to the Special Class!"

Ja'Keyon had enough of this sentimental nonsense and began to walk away from the group, "Mr. Malcolm where are you going?"

"Back to the school it's getting late and I'm tired so if you don't mind I turning in." he replied angry that he never got to take his revenge on Quire

"But Martha already sent out a mind alarm to Ms. Frost they're probably sending someone to pick us up now." Said the elderly Ernst

He didn't answer and continued to walk into the woods eventually disappearing into the trees.

* * *

><p>In front of the Xavier Institute stood Emma Frost, Charles Xavier, Beast, and a quintet of blonde haired twins dressed in matching ladies suits.<p>

The girls all had their eyes closed before opening them to an observing Charles and Emma, "Did you find anything girls?" asked the women who they bared a remarkable resemblance to

"No Miss Frost." They answered in unison

The two senior telepaths shared a worried glance at one another, "This is troublesome. Quentin seems to have disappeared and managed to elude any of our attempts to find him telepathically."

A student walked boy with a shaved hairstyle save for the top portion of their head. Beast noticed this and said, "One thing that hasn't disappeared with him is that atrocious fashion sense he established. It seems to be turning up everywhere I look."

"Quentin Quire has been trying to make it fashionable." Said one of the twins

"But let's not talk about him." Said another

"He is an unpleasant boy."

"With horrible B.O." ended another blonde telepath

Emma let a laugh escape as she said, "Now girls that's no way to talk about a fellow student."

The girls could tell that she didn't mean it and only said it at a whim and continued together this time, "We are sure that he plans to disrupt Opening Day tomorrow."

Xavier sighed and said, "You've been wise to trust your intuitions before, but unfortunately we seem to be unable to find Quentin." He then turned to Emma who had a strangely pleasurable expression plastered on her face, "Emma did he attend your Precognition Class today?"

The woman did not answer a look of bliss still present on her face "Ms. Frost!" called the sisters

This seemed to pull her back into the present as she said, "Oh please forgive me. I was…miles away."

* * *

><p>In a world of yellow haze Emma kissed Scott Summers passionately. He had his shirt off revealing his toned body while she was down to her white undergarments and matching bra. Their mouths were busy with other things at the moment so Scott thought to her, "<em>We shouldn't be doing this Emma."<em>

Kissing him deeper and receiving his tongue as a reward she thought back, "_All we are doing is sharing a thought. I don't think your precious Jean will object to us thinking together will she?"_

Scott then placed his hands on her thin waist and threw her over so that he was on top of her. Even though his shades hid his eyes she could tell he was looking at her hungrily. She licked her lips seductively and invited him to her with lustful eyes.

"Scott! Are you alright my friend?" asked Xorn

Scott returned to the here and now as he piloted the X-copter carrying Xorn's class plus Laura and Julian.

"It seems you were preoccupied with something and it must have been **something** because you kept smiling." Said Xorn

Replying quickly but not so fast as to seem nervous he said, "I was listening, but I just have a lot on my mind. I was…miles away."

* * *

><p>The X-Copter landed. Stepping out Julian stretched and said, "Well, I think I'm about to turn in for the night." He turned to Laura and said, "Care to join me?"<p>

She looked at him deadpan before walking towards him and putting her fist to his crotch, "Whoa down girl." He said smirking

_Snikt!_

Her claws extended and pressed against a very soft and important part of Julian's body. Looking down he stepped back and said, "Sheesh, I was joking. You don't have to castrate me because of a joke do you?"

Laura said nothing and walked away towards the school. The young telepath looked at her and after taking note of her impressive posterior he said, "Clones."

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

Walking in the hallway was Charles and Hank. It was night by now and most of the student and staff were turning in preparation for Open Day tomorrow. The issue of Quentin and what the Stepford Cuckoos said were still on his mind however.

"The idea of an anti-human protest tomorrow is unthinkable! We are trying to attract human students! The last thing we need is another zealous uprising trying to fill the void left by Magneto."

Contrasting feelings of resentment and camaraderie swirled within him as he mentioned his old friend.

"Tis' the curse of youth I suppose. They don't yet realize that some messages are better left off buried." Concurred Hank

Coming to his door Xavier bid his good friend adieu and went inside. Walking inside the pitch black room he felt something was amiss. This went beyond his telepathy and instead was basic human instinct.

About to flip on the switch to brighten the room a pain erupted in the back of his head as something wooden knocked him to the floor. Suddenly the light came on revealing the room to be inhabited by the Professor and the entire Omega Gang.

Glob said, "Great we take down Professor X, now what happens when the rest of the X-Men come to kick our asses sideways?"

Quentin closed the door and responded, "Let 'em come. We've got all night to prepare for them. Tattoo get the helmet."

The inked out girl placed an eyeless silver helmet over Xavier's head.

Wielding the bat that knocked Xavier to the ground Radian said, "Wolverine is all yours Quentin."

Dismissing this Quentin turned his attention back to Xavier and said, "That helmet you're wearing Professor is one designed by Magneto. I seem to remember you telling us to think outside the box well…" he tapped the side of the helmet "you can't think into this helmet or outside this one."

Standing up he began to pace around the room as Xavier stirred signifying that he had regained consciousness. He couldn't see but felt the object on his head and tried to remove it, but was stopped by Redneck, "Sorry, that helmet is telepathy-proof we can't have you calling for help just yet."

"You know Professor when I was thirteen your inspiring speeches were really something, but now that I've grown up the world looks a little different now that I'm taller."

Xavier didn't respond to his student's rhetoric as his brains were still disoriented form that strike, "Your dream has failed, Xavier. Humans can't be reasoned with all they do is lie and destroy so the only thing we can do is destroy them. Just like Magneto wanted."

A book from Xavier's shelf hit the floor thanks to Glob's clumsiness an "Oops" and it began to slide away from the wall revealing a secret lab hidden from view.

"I smell Kick." Said Tattoo

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

Jaqueris was outside with Pixie and David as they waited for the arrival of the human students. Jaqueris didn't feel any particular way about Open Day as long as none of them proved to be bigots. He was only out here because he was waiting for his aunt and cousin to arrive.

After learning about Open Day he had contacted his Aunt and asked if she and Keenan would drop by and give the place a look.

"Do you guys think it's gonna be different from now on?" asked Megan

"If by different you mean awkward as hell then yeah, but it'll tide over…eventually." Said David

Megan then turned to Jaqueris who was looking at the gate fixedly, "What do you think?"

Jaqueris returned to the here and now and said, "I don't know but I'm just hoping my cousin shows up."

"I wonder if there will be any good looking guys coming." She said

Jaqueris snapped his head and looked at her incredulously. She smiled teasingly and said, "Just kidding."

Jaqueris gave David a look when he began to laugh at his reaction.

"Look there they come." Said David pointing towards the main gate

Just as he said a mass of teenagers and their parents were being led by the Stepford Cuckoos and Emma Frost to the school Jaqueris' cousin and aunt among them.

Noting his absence one of the girls said, "The Professor was supposed to join us for the opening, but he hasn't shown up."

Emma remained undeterred and said, "He likes to make an entrance. I'm sure he's rushing to powder his head so he can…"

Just then the crowd stopped dead in their tracks by a booming voice saying, "Attention participants of Open Day. This is an important announcement!"

Emma and the Cuckoos turned their attention to the one speaking through the megaphone. They saw that it belonged to Quentin Quire his eyes glazed over for some reason.

Ja'Keyon walked up to his brother's group and said, "Is that Quire?"

No one answered him as the telepath continued, "I would like to inform you that we had taken Professor Xavier as our hostage and our taking over the corrupt school of his own making." As he spoke a giant white sheet leaned out of the second story window with a red omega symbol spray painted on it.

Quentin then spoke once more, "I demand that all humans present and everywhere in the world would you be so kind as to…DIE! School's out! Riiiot!"

At that very moment pandemonium broke loose as the crowd began to disperse and scream knowing that their lives were threatened. Quentin was grinning maniacally, his eyes dazed from Kick, at the chaos he had caused.

Below in the crowd Jaqueris fought through the crowd as he tried to get to his family. Bodies brushed past and rammed into him as everybody scrambled to get to safety.

"Jaqueris!" called Megan from above

"Pix! Can you find my brother..for…me?" he cried trying to raise his voice over the ambient noise

He managed to free himself from the crowd momentarily but what he saw in the clear patch surprised him. Standing there as if in waiting was that man from the mountains.

Jaqueris looked at the man who just kept appearing out of nowhere. First, he was outside the balcony, and then he appeared in Colorado, and now here during a riot.

"Who the hell are you?" exclaimed Jaqueris as he began to circle around the man

He stood still and followed Jaqueris with his eyes, "You're trying to get me away from the crowd right?"

Shock answered the man's question and Jaqueris tried to reevaluate his strategy.

"Now you're thinking about trying rush me with super speed that Surge taught you. You're welcome to try it if you can sustain long enough but I have to warn you…" the next thing Jaqueris knew he was face to face with the man

He keeled over and vomited on the ground when the man punched him in the stomach with unnatural force. Falling to his knees and clutching his gut he stared up at the enigma before falling unconscious.

He then turned his attention to Megan still fluttering in the air who froze instantly. She suddenly felt an extreme force pull her to the ground and into the arms of the man.

He placed his fingers on her forehead and said, "Sorry about this." Megan felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her as she fell into unconsciousness.

Falling back the man kept her from hitting the ground by holding her up bridal style. He turned around as he sensed two people coming through the raging crowd. As expected David Alleyne and Ja'Keyon both appeared.

Taking in the scenario in front of them Jaqueris said heatedly, "You again?"

"You know this guy?" asked David

"He's the one that made sure I didn't get away from A.I.M. the first time." He revealed

David looked at the unconscious form of his two friends and said, "He took out Megan and Jaqueris like it was nothing."

Ja'Keyon didn't seem to hear him as he ran forward and jumped into the air intending to deliver a vicious back kick. The man stood calmly as the foot neared him and watched as Ja'Keyon fell to the ground like a great weight had been dropped on him.

"You always did rush head first into things just like him."

David wanted to help his friends but found that his body wasn't obeying his commands. Any attempt at moving his legs and he found that they were frozen in place.

The man looked into David's eyes as he contemplated his next action, "You know I should kill you at get this over with, but then I would never forgive myself so this will have to do."

After he finished speaking the space in and around him began to bend and contort making the air seem like a ripple was forming. It expanded outwards and consumed Jaqueris and Ja'Keyon along with the man and Megan. Once reaching a certain width several bolts of electricity touching on the ground.

Just as it appeared it disappeared and David was relieved form his paralysis. He fell forward and observed the absence of his friends in front of him.

* * *

><p>Whew, I'm so happy I got this chapter out of the way. Now I can start the second part of this story titled "A Not Too Distant Future" it's not a sequel to my Young X-Men fic but more of an interquel. The continuation of this fic will be told from that story with a cast of all new characters along with returning characters. So if you want to see more of Nova's, Pixie's, and Rebel's adventures check out that story, but be sure to tell me what you think of this chapter because it's going to be the last one for this story for awhile.<p> 


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